Azelf's Aura
by dbzespio
Summary: No longer a ten year old Trainer, Leaf sets off for a fresh start in Sinnoh. While there, she manages to capture the legendary Azelf. However, can she and her friends manage to protect him from the relentless Team Galactic? And don't forget about the random laughs they'll encounter along the way!
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Over ten years ago, three children received their first Pokémon from that famous Professor Oak of Pallet Town. To be sure, it didn't take long for the first two children to make a name for themselves. Within a year, the two, thanks to their fierce rivalry, were able to reach great heights. They were the youngest boys ever to challenge the Elite Four and emerge victorious. The first was a young boy named Blue, the grandson of Professor Oak. He, however, only managed to be Champion for about three hours, thanks to Red entering the picture.

After defeating Blue, Red renounced his championship and headed off for the mountains, in an attempt to deal with his newfound (and unwanted) fame. Left feeling somewhat bitter and lost, Blue left Kanto. He didn't return again for several years, but when he finally did, the young Trainer decided to take ownership of the old Viridian Gym.

Oh, but wait a minute… There were _three_ children to start with, weren't there?

Ah, right. There was also Leaf.

Unlike her peers, she was slow to learn the ways to train very strong Pokémon… She never became famous, in any shape or form.

After three years, she finally attained enough badges to challenge the Elite Four. However, even after spending an entire year training for it, the girl still wasn't able to rise up to the challenge. She was defeated by Agatha, a woman who decided to retire from her post shortly afterwards. Leaf never got the chance to challenge her again, but it didn't matter. No matter how many times she tried, she never was able to achieve the same success as her peers. The Elite Four challenge remained insurmountable to her. Over time, Leaf gave up on it.

Despite her lack of innate skill on the battlefield, she still adored Pokémon, and so the young Trainer decided to become a Researcher. She attended school and eventually took up a post observing Pokémon for Professor Oak. Since the old Professor didn't have the time and energy he used to, he was happy to send her out in the field. She loved the work, traveling throughout Kanto and doing what she liked most: spending time with Pokémon, all without having to face the stress of very strenuous competitions.

oOoOoOo

"Eh? Professor Oak? What does he want…?"

Leaf bit the inside of her cheek, confused. Apparently, Oak had decided to video chat with her, but thanks to the slow connection, it had yet to work. Was this about that weekly report…? No, she had sent him that two days ago; she still had time to prepare the next one, so then… what?

At long last, Professor Oak's face appeared upon the screen. He was just standing there, holding up a book, like usual. Leaf had yet to find out the actual title of that book he was always carrying, since it was simply a basic-looking book with nothing on the cover but a boring shade of brown. Maybe he needed it in order to look scholarly…?

"Ah, Leaf! Hello! I have some great news! I found a new assignment for you!"

"Really? Uh, what is it?"

"Oh yes, it's going to be _very_ exciting... But first, I must ask you: are you a boy or a girl?"

"I'm a girl, Professor…"

Did he really need to ask her that… every time they talked?

"Ah yes! Right! And my grandson, his name is…?"

"Blue, Professor… His name is Blue…"

And that question again, too? No wonder Blue had so many self-esteem issues…

"Ah yes! That's right; how could I forget? Now, ah… back to the issue at hand! How do you feel about… heading to Sinnoh?"

"Sinnoh?" Leaf blinked. "Where's that?"

"You really don't know? Didn't one of your sisters, Lily, head out there a few years ago?"

Oh, so he knew one of her sisters by name, but not his own grandson…? It really seemed that Blue's name was the only one he ever failed to recall on a routine basis. The minds of geniuses could be strange things indeed…

"Uh, yeah… I guess she did."

Now Leaf, on the other hand, had so many siblings coming and going, she hardly remembered where any of them were at present. They were all wanderers, forever off on journeys in different regions. It was hard to keep track of everybody.

"Well, that's where you're going too. Tomorrow! Now… I'm sure it will be a_ fine_ journey, filled with friends and brand-new Pokémon that are unique to the region! Go forth and find your path in life, Leaf; it's sure to be one blessed with new friends and adventures, one that will be shared with both humans and Pokémon alike!"

"Yes, yes; I understand, Professor…!" Leaf hurriedly exclaimed, frantically waving her hands to get his attention. It could be difficult sometimes, especially when he jumped into one of those lively speeches about starting journeys. "But what would I _do _there? I thought you wanted me to… Well, I've got to give you one of those reports in a week or so, and-"

"Oh, don't worry about any of that!" the Professor cried, waving his book as if to cast the thought aside. "You won't be doing any of that for a while. And actually… by 'a while,' I mean a year or two. Now I want you to work with my colleague, Professor Rowan. You'll be fulfilling jobs for him until further notice."

"You're… _transferring _me?" Leaf exclaimed, suddenly frantic all over again. "What did I do—I didn't even—I don't even—! What am I going to-?"

"Relax!" the Professor chuckled, though his stoic expression hardly changed. "You didn't do anything wrong, and this isn't the result of any punishment. Nothing of the sort. Rather, it's more of a promotion, actually. Professor Rowan has been a little short-handed lately, and he has a very interesting task waiting for you. I figured you would enjoy it, so I decided to send you off, right away!"

"Oh. Okay," she replied shortly, feeling a little dumb over her previous outburst.

"Well, good. If that's all, I'll send you your ticket. You'll need to leave Vermillion by seven. You're in the area, I presume?"

"Yes… so I'll be leaving by boat then?"

"That's right. Oh, and while you're there, do your best to enjoy yourself! You can participate in Gym battles, collect and trade new Pokémon, go shopping for new items and power-ups, and-"

"Yes, Professor. Thank you. I'll… do that."

"Oh, good! And, good luck! Oh, and remember, you'll be starting a brand-new journey, filled with new friends and surprises! You're sure to meet plenty of new faces, those of people and Pokémon alike! It's sure to be a grand adventure! You're about to enter a new phase of your young life…"

Leaf exhaled, shifting so that she could rest her head on her palm. This was going to take a while…

oOoOoOo

NOTES: Well, this chapter has been entirely rewritten! It's still not that great, but I think it's better than it was… I didn't really know what I was doing back then. ^^;


	2. Chapter 2: Iron Island

'Well, here I am… Canalave City…' Leaf thought to herself while idly wandering down the street just along the harbor. 'I don't meet Professor Rowan until tomorrow afternoon, so… yeah…'

Looking around, Leaf couldn't help but notice the city itself looked very similar to the one she had left just last night, Vermillion City. It was mostly due to the fact that the streets and harbor were bustling with people, mainly sailors. Lots of traffic, lots of people… Basically, your average port town.

Well, she was thankful to see one nice difference between the two: there wasn't any man around trying to build a house with his Machop. Even after ten long years, that man still hadn't managed to pull together… anything. That Machop just stomped around all day long, preparing the land for a house that would likely never be built. This city, at least, seemed to be free of such inane construction projects…

'Hey… is this…' Leaf paused in her aimless stroll before a familiar-looking building. 'Oh! I bet this is the Gym!'

Just as she busied herself reading the sign perched before the place, a man stepped out from… the shadows.

"Excuse me?"

"Huh?" she straightened and quickly felt uncomfortable by the sudden appearance of the stranger. "Um… Hi…? Uh… who are you?"

"That doesn't matter right now," the stranger told her, casually adjusting his sunglasses. "So you're here to challenge the Gym?"

"Maybe… so what if I am?" Leaf questioned, raising an eyebrow. What was with this guy? Talk about random…

"You're no match for Leader Byron," the man declared, and she stiffened. "No, not at all. You'll need to train first. Go to Iron Island."

"Iron Island?" she repeated, entirely confused.

"Yes, Iron Island. It's the perfect place to train. You can take the ferry. Go there now."

"What ferry? And why do I have to listen to some random guy I hardly even-?"

"Go now!" the man thundered, pointing dramatically.

"Aah! Okay! Just don't—make an objection!" Leaf frantically exclaimed and suddenly found herself scurrying back to the very dock she had come off from.

"Sheesh… What a crazy guy… Must be a lawyer or something…"

Realizing now that she had just been chased away from the Gym, the only place where she could find something remotely interesting to do, Leaf bit her lip slightly as she pondered what she should do now. She couldn't go back, not right away at least; that guy would surely still be in the area. She really didn't want anything to do with overly-dramatic lawyers…

"All aboard for Iron Island! The ferry departs in FIVE minutes!" A nearby sailor shouted suddenly.

Since this sailor happened to shout practically right next to her ear, Leaf jumped in alarm. This caused her to nearly bump into somebody. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

"Yeah, no problem. Don't worry about it." The guy merely smiled, apparently unbothered.

"Uh, yeah, I…"

"You're heading to Iron Island, right?" he observed, gesturing to the nearby ferry. "Ferry's just ahead."

_It's the perfect place to train…_

Eh, why not? It wasn't like she had anything better to do, anyway…

"Um, yes. Thank you." she nodded to him before making up her mind and heading over to the boat.

Stepping onboard, Leaf figured she'd just stay out on the deck; it was a beautiful day, so why not? Leaning against the railing, she took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, salty sea air. Yes, staying out on deck surely was much better…

There wasn't a cloud in the sky…

Leaf jumped slightly once an idea made its way into her mind. She knew of a Pokémon who could really use a chance to stretch her wings…

"Come on out, Popuri!"

"Swablu!"

In a flash of light, a little blue bird appeared, chirping happily. Unable to hold back a smile, Leaf petted the little creature, giggling when Popuri puffed out her fluffy feathers proudly.

"Willow raised a beautiful Pokémon… I wonder what she and Goten are doing right now… Hey, you know… every time I see you, I think of them. I'm sure that's the fun in trading, isn't it?"

Popuri twittered contentedly and took flight, seemingly dancing all along the ship as the wind guided her path. Leaf smiled to herself, glad to see the Pokémon enjoying herself.

Eventually, the ferry reached Iron Island. Since Leaf was on deck the entire time, she was one of the first passengers off the ship. However, Popuri was still flying around nearby, apparently unwilling to return to the Pokéball just yet. Figuring the Swablu would return once she had her fill of exercise, Leaf lagged behind the other passengers and eventually decided to wait near the shoreline. She found a fairly smooth-looking boulder and crawled atop it, taking a seat to keep an eye on her Swablu as the Pokémon soared around in the cool breeze. The other passengers, most likely Trainers, came and went. Leaf kept her back to them, deciding to just gaze into the horizon and wait.

Eventually, one lone straggler began to make his way down the path behind her. Leaf, however, was completely oblivious to that fact; she assumed that all the other Trainers had passed her by at this point.

Caught off-guard, Leaf jumped at the sound of feet scraping against the pebble-strewn earth. She whirled around to finally discover that last Trainer walking past. Even without looking up at her, the young man seemed to somehow sense that she had noticed him, for he quickly nodded to her in greeting. She couldn't even see his eyes; they were merely dark shadows underneath his hat.

Who was this guy? What was the point in hiding his face like that? It made him seem a bit… shady. But still, he had nodded to her… Crooks likely wouldn't bother to do such a thing... They were usually too busy plotting and scheming to take notice of the world around them… right?

Maybe he was just shy… or some kind of well-dressed emo. Engaging him in conversation might be a good way to find out his true colors.

"Um…hi there…?" Leaf managed to say before he had walked away entirely.

"Afternoon," he responded smoothly, without looking up from the ground, yet again.

She watched him leave with a slightly raised eyebrow.

That guy… What a mystery.

He eventually disappeared into the dark cavern up ahead, just as the other passengers had done earlier. That was where Leaf was going next, she knew.

And now, she couldn't help wonder: what kind of Trainer was that guy, if he was one? He would have to be tough; there was no way a total novice could hold an air of mystery that impenetrable. (Well, unless his name was Red… back in the day.) But those typical novices… they usually tended to be too busy shouting about how great they were to bother trying out _this_ kind of image... Well, that's how they were portrayed on TV, anyway.

This guy, on the other hand… well, Leaf couldn't imagine him _ever_ shouting. And of course, Trainers who didn't feel the need to shout out their ambitions every three seconds had to be the epitome of inner strength and competence. Well… usually, anyway.

Better yet, what if that man happened to be the boss of Iron Island? The toughest Trainer there, the one that everyone wanted to beat… Just like in a video game!

What could be more fun than that!


	3. Chapter 3: Riley & Lucario

"Swablu?"

The little blue bird landed on the boulder before her Trainer, looking up at her with inquisitive eyes.

"Hey Popuri! What's up? You had enough for today?" Leaf asked, reaching for her Pokéball. "Okay… return."

'Now… it's time to see what this Iron Island training is all about…' she thought to herself as she made her way to the mouth of the cave.

Upon entering, her pace slowed as she squinted to peer through the darkness. Once her eyes finally became adjusted to the lack of bright sunlight, she realized that she was within a mine of some sort. At least it looked like she was, anyway. She couldn't really remember anything the creepy lawyer had said to her about the place earlier.

Oh, right. He hadn't said much of anything about it. Just that it was a great place to train. Well… that was as good a reason as any to visit, but it sure didn't tell her a lot about the relative safety of the place…

Well, if there was no treasure hidden away here… then there wouldn't be any traps for her to have to look out for. That was a given, for sure.

Leaf stopped abruptly once she took notice of a dark figure resting at the far end of the area. It looked like it was a man, but she wasn't entirely sure. She slowly moved closer, careful not to make much noise. If it happened to be a Pokémon, she certainly didn't want to frighten it. And if it was a creepy crook… she carefully pulled out a Pokéball and held it at the ready.

Once she drew close enough, she realized it was only the man from earlier. That mysterious guy with the hat. He was just standing there, leaning against an old boulder with his head hung low. Much like he had earlier, the guy seemed to sense her approach, even though he hadn't even bothered to lift his head.

"Hey there. I'm Riley. What's your name?"

At this question, the young man apparently named Riley finally lifted his gaze and looked directly into her eyes.

Leaf was slightly stunned. This guy… seemed pretty intense.

Now that she could clearly see him, she noticed he had very dark black hair, but his eyes… they were blue. Did that happen very often?

"Uh… I'm Leaf," she replied after she found her words. She felt surprised it took her that long to answer, but this guy's sudden directness really threw her off.

"Leaf?" Riley repeated.

"Yeah… it's a stupid name; I know. But that's my parents for you… They named me and my siblings, all of us after plants…"

"No," he broke in quickly, seemingly a bit startled to hear that sort of response, "that's not what I meant at all. I just wasn't sure if I heard you correctly… That's all."

"Oh, right," she laughed quietly, hoping to set him back at ease. "Well, nice to meet you then, Riley."

"Likewise."

"Uh… so… what are you doing out here all by yourself anyway? You going to train your Pokémon? Assuming that… you know, you are in fact a Trainer?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about…" Riley began as his gaze shifted toward the passage that seemed to lead deeper into the mines. "Lately, it seems the Steel type Pokémon on this island have been acting strangely. There are even some rumors that the Pokémon have gone completely berserk. That's why I came here to investigate… I saw you with your Swablu earlier, and I was wondering if you'd like to consider teaming up with me for a while. If these rumors are true, it's most likely very dangerous in there, so I don't think it's a particularly good idea to travel alone... Just to be safe."

"Well, sure thing. I'd be willing to lend you a hand."

"Thanks," Riley replied with a small smile. Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a Pokéball. "All right, Lucario! I think I'll need your help."

In a flash of red light, a blue and black Pokémon appeared at his side.

Confounded, Leaf reached in her bag for her Pokédex. She'd never seen this Pokémon before.

"Rukario, the Aura Pokémon..." A mechanical voice droned. It then proceeded to further describe the strange new Pokémon.

"Rukario?" Riley repeated after the Pokédex had finished explaining things. "Why did it call him that?"

"Well, it hasn't been updated for a while… It's probably still using the Japanese pronunciation or something. Most new species are recorded in that language first."

"So… I take it you've never seen a Lucario before?"

"Nope. Which type is it? Normal?"

"No, Fighting and Steel."

"Whoa, really?" Leaf could hardly believe it. The Pokémon didn't look very strong at all, especially not for a Fighting type. It was even slimmer than she was, except for the fact that its hips were especially chunky. Not to mention, the steel typing just didn't seem possible… at all. He looked so soft and fuzzy!

"Could I pet him?"

Riley shrugged. "Sure, I don't think he would mind."

Somewhat cautiously, Leaf walked up to the Lucario. His gaze was focused elsewhere, so he seemed to be ignoring her. Figuring he didn't seem bothered by her presence, Leaf gently patted the Lucario's arm. "For a Steel type, you certainly are soft and fuzzy, you know," she told him, smiling.

Judging by the indifferent look on his face, the Lucario was still ignoring her, but he still didn't seem to be bothered by her touch.

"Aww! _Lucario_! You're just so… _cute_!" Leaf suddenly proclaimed. It was certainly a bit abrupt and random, but she couldn't help it. It was hard to contain herself for long when it came to such adorable Pokémon.

"Uh…Okay, then…" Riley re-adjusted his hat; it had practically fallen off his head upon him hearing her sudden declaration.

Lucario, on the other hand, did nothing to conceal his surprise at this unexpected proclamation. He backed away slightly and stared at her with a baffled expression. He just couldn't help but wonder… was this lady… completely _crazy_? He was not cute at all! In fact, he was the opposite! He prided himself on his strength, not his looks!

"Have you had Lucario for a long time?" Leaf asked Riley, her tone casual once more. Apparently she didn't find her behavior all that surprising.

"Yes..." Riley said, a quiet sort of pride overtaking his features. "Lucario is my first Pokémon. I've known him as far back as I can remember."

"Aww… that's so nice…" she breathed, smiling softly.

Lucario looked over at her, wide-eyed and perplexed. Based on this new expression of hers, he started to figure that she probably wasn't _that _crazy... Maybe.

"You should probably let your closest Pokémon out now as well," Riley told her. "It could be our best defense, if it turns out that the Steel types _are _acting up…"

"Heh… okay. I see what you did there. So, you want to see my strongest Pokémon, huh?"

Wasting no time, she reached into her bag to pull out one of her Pokéballs.

"Then come on out, Vegeta!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Rage of Steelix

"Come on out, Vegeta!"

A giant, blue turtle appeared in front of her in a flash of red light, water cannons at the ready.

"Blastoise!" The battle-hungry Pokémon proclaimed, as if he were just about to charge a battalion of foes. He halted abruptly, once he realized that there wasn't any battle going on at the moment. At a total loss for words, Vegeta wildly looked about himself in confusion. Leaf just smiled at him.

"A Blastoise?" Riley raised his eyebrows, surprised. "You don't see many of those around here…"

"Well… he's not really all that rare, where I come from…"

"Ah, so that explains it. You must be from Kanto then?"

"That's right." Leaf nodded. "Well, anyway… should we head off?"

"Yes… it's time for us to find out whether these rumors regarding the Steel types are true…" he replied, nodding.

Without further ado, the four of them headed for the entrance which led deeper into the mines. It seemed the quartet wandered around these mines for quite some time without coming across much of anyone. There were a few wild Geodude here and there, but that was about it. Riley's Lucario led the way, occasionally stopping here and there amongst the earth formations to... Well, Leaf wasn't entirely certain what that Lucario was actually up to over there.

"Hey, uh, Riley?" she asked hesitantly, feeling a little awkward about breaking the silence they'd held for quite some time now. "What's your Rukario doing, anyway?"

"Lucario is tracking the Aura waves he senses nearby. That's how he's been able to steer us away from those Steel types," he explained.

"But… I thought we were going to investigate and see if the rumors were true… Why's Lucario leading us away from them all?"

"Well, we don't actually need to get close to them in order to know that, thanks to Lucario's Aura detection abilities."

"So… what kinds of Auras is he sensing right now? Can he really tell if the Steel types are acting crazy?"

"Well, he's still trying to get a clear reading at the moment…" Riley pointed out, looking up at his Pokémon.

Soon enough, Lucario hopped down from the ledge he had leapt up onto, looking a bit concerned. He growled at Riley for a few moments, until his Trainer turned to face Leaf.

"So it seems the rumors are true. Every Aura signature Lucario has picked up so far seems… off. He tells me he senses waves of tortured frustration… They must be suffering. And all this suffering is actually causing them to lose control of their reason."

"Well… then…" Leaf looked about herself wildly, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What can we do about it?"

"I'm not sure, but… Lucario wants to lead us to one of them. It's probably dangerous; however… he feels it's something we need to see."

Leaf laughed nervously, but it sounded more pained than anything. "Are you… Is he sure about that? It sounds kind of… I mean, it's not like we have to just walk right up to one, right? We can like… spy on them from a distance, or…?"

"We'll be fine." Riley assured her. "Keep in mind: Lucario knows plenty of Fighting type moves. They'll be difficult for a Steel type to withstand, if it comes down to that."

"Sure thing…" she agreed weakly, rubbing her arm for no real reason.

Lucario frowned at her, sensing the fear and doubt emanating off her person. Apparently she didn't seem to have a whole lot of faith in his abilities… No wonder she was crazy.

Vegeta simply flexed. To be perfectly honest, he thought it was fun to look cool at times like this.

oOoOoOo

"Careful!" Riley cautioned after hearing a warning from his Lucario. He glanced over towards Leaf but wound up whirling around completely, only to find her lingering in his wake instead of walking beside him as she had been before. "Oh. Well… I suppose you'll be alright back there."

This, however, didn't reassure her all that much...

Without warning, a massive Steelix smashed its head through the seemingly impassable wall of rock before them. Its face twisted from either anger or pain (it was hard to tell which), the metallic monster let loose a wild screech.

Panicking, Leaf quickly hid behind Vegeta, where she could safely cover her ears and cower in his shadow.

"It seems to be in great pain… why else would it bash its own head against the rock…?" Riley mused, contemplating the mad beast as if it were nothing more than a harmless amoeba beneath his microscope.

Just then, Steelix began to thrash about, knocking tons of boulders and rubble everywhere.

"We're all going to _die_!" Leaf screamed, covering her head with her arms.

Vegeta, in his best efforts to comfort her, patted her back with his right arm, mumbling words of reassurance. He knew that without a Trainer to guide him, a fight against that Steelix would be impossible. All he could do was try to coax Leaf into calming down. Maybe then she'd be in the right state of mind to give him some directions… Unfortunately, he couldn't quite reach her with his left arm, so the comfort of a hug was impossible…

"Lucario! Use Close Combat!" Riley instructed, not losing his composure for even a moment.

Lucario made his way to the Steelix without a moment's hesitation, deftly leaping from rock to rock to reach his target. From there, the Pokémon unleashed a barrage of attacks ranging from a series of well-timed kicks and punches, all of which sent the now-dizzy Steelix reeling. The moment Lucario drew back, Steelix crumpled to the ground in a heap, unconscious. The victorious Lucario then pounced back to his place at Riley's side, without so much as a blink.

Leaf abruptly broke off her whimpering once the area fell silent. Confused, she looked up, only to see the unconscious Steelix resting just beyond Riley and Lucario. "Riley… defeated it…?"

Vegeta nodded, finally rising back to his full height. That Lucario seemed to be quite the formidable opponent. The giant turtle smirked. He would love to try his hand against him in battle one day…

He then looked back at his Trainer, who was still kneeling on the ground gaping at the scene. On second thought… maybe it would be a while before he could challenge an opponent like that…

"There's definitely something wrong…" Riley muttered, stepping up to examine the fallen Steelix more closely.

"_Wait_!" Leaf abruptly exclaimed, her voice a bit shrill from its intensity. This caused everyone, man and Pokémon alike, to jump in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Riley called back to her, both concerned and confused.

"Don't go any closer! What if that Steelix wakes up again and eats you or rips your head off?!"

Riley laughed quietly, but quickly closed his mouth once he took notice of Leaf's frantic expression. So she was… actually being serious. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine with Lucario around," he assured her, moving back to continue his inspection of the wild Steelix.

While he did so, Leaf watched and waited with trepidation. Eventually, he returned, offering her a hand since she still hadn't yet risen back to her feet.

"Well, I'm no expert," he began, "but it seems to me that there's been no real physical damage done to that Steelix, aside from everything he's done to himself, that is. It troubles me that he seemed to be repeatedly bashing his head… Well, that's where most of his injuries were concentrated, at any rate. Maybe there's something going on inside the brain that's been troubling all these Steel types…"

"Maybe… But what can we do to help them?"

"I'm not so sure… But let's keep our eyes open. Hopefully, we can find a way to figure this all out."

"Well, with Lucario on our side, it shouldn't be a problem…" she pointed out, smiling at said Pokémon.

"That's nice of you to—"

Just then, a rather frightening thought struck her. "Hold on!" Leaf loudly exclaimed, causing everyone to jump in surprise yet again.

"Um, I'm sorry…" she apologized quickly. "But… I just remembered that your Lucario is a Steel type too! How come he hasn't gone crazy? And what if he does? What will we do?!"

"Well, actually…" Riley began, "Lucario is protecting himself with his Aura abilities. Whatever's affecting the Steel types won't be able to penetrate the Aura waves shielding his body."

As if to emphasize the point, the Aura surrounding Lucario flashed blue.

"Oh. Right." Leaf blinked. "Good job then."

oOoOoOo

As the four continued on in their exploration of the mines, Leaf figured she ought to try to break the ice. After getting past a few awkward and halting starts, she became surprised by how easy it was to talk with Riley. She initially thought of him as a cool and distant sort, but it turns out that he was actually pretty friendly once you got to talking with him. Maybe he just didn't like to start up conversations.

"So what else have you been up to lately?" Leaf wondered, deciding she'd bring up a more vague conversation topic since she was running out of ideas.

"Um… Well, I did consider becoming a Gym Leader at one point…"

"Really? I had actually thought of it at one point too, but," Leaf glanced at Vegeta, "I could never stick to just one type like that! It'd be so hard!"

"Without a doubt," Riley smiled at her. "When the Gym Leader of Canalave asked me to become Oreburgh's Leader, I felt I had to turn him down."

"So it was because you couldn't find a type to stick to?"

"Well, no… It was just…" Riley paused to readjust his hat. "There was the Leader's son Roark to consider."

"Wait a second… You gave up the opportunity just so that someone else could take it?"

"Well, um… yes."

"Aww… What a sweet guy…!" Leaf grinned at him, her tone light and teasing but not without a note of sincerity too.

Riley's face flushed, but he thankfully managed to hide it by lowering his hat down his face. Honestly… what had caused him to tell her all that?

Lucario grunted, which put a halt to any continued conversation.

"Uh… What's going on?" Leaf asked, looking at the Pokémon curiously.

"Lucario was just telling me that there are quite a few Trainers up ahead."

"Well then, are you ready for a battle or two?" she wondered, glancing back at Vegeta.

The turtle Pokémon roared and flexed. He had been itching for a fight all day!


	5. Chapter 5: Double Battle

Leaf and Riley had just rounded a corner when…

Eye contact!

"Hey! Are you people Trainers?" A young man holding various camping gear asked. He even had fake badges all over his chest. Apparently one of his goals in life was to impersonate a boy scout. Too bad he was about ten years too old to fool anybody…

"Well, duh! Look at 'em! They got a Lucario and Blastoise standing right there next to 'em! Use your eyes, genius!" The shorts-clad little boy standing next to him sneered.

"Hey, I'm not here to judge or anything, you know. They could be hippies that don't believe in battling with Pokémon or something…" The camper guy reasoned.

"Hey! You know the rules! If they look us in the eye, it's over! And look! They're both staring right at me!"

Leaf raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah… We actually _aren't_ hippies, so-"

"I _knew _it! Now prepare to get creamed!" The young boy yelled.

"Okay," Riley agreed, tilting his hat further down his face. "Challenge accepted."

Lucario and Vegeta stepped into position in front of their Trainers, preparing themselves for battle. The camper called out a Torkoal, while the little boy summoned a Magcargo.

'Two fire types? Do they even see my Blastoise?' Leaf couldn't help but wonder to herself.

Shrugging, she decided to call for Vegeta to use Surf. Accordingly, the Blastoise summoned a crashing wave of water that slammed into the two opposing Pokémon at full force, causing them both to faint. Unfortunately, the wave also crashed into Riley's Lucario as well…

"Oops!" Leaf bit her lip, mentally scolding herself for not realizing that. "Man, I'm sorry... I guess it's been forever since the last time I had a double battle with someone else…"

"No problem," Riley said mildly, shrugging it off as unimportant. "Lucario didn't take much damage."

Lucario, however, did not take it that lightly. He looked back at her and scowled.

"Ehe…" she laughed weakly, scratching the back of her head. "I'm sorry about that, Lucario…"

Their opponents had, by now, retracted their Pokémon and sent out two more: Raticate and Geodude. Riley instructed his Pokémon to attack the Raticate with a Force Palm. Lucario rushed up to Raticate with menacing look on his face, clearly psyching it out.

"Come on, Raticate! You can dodge it!" the camper encouraged his Pokémon.

The Raticate tried his hardest to run away and duck, but his opponent was too fast. Lucario's palm quickly connected with the tiny mouse. He reeled for a moment, but the Pokémon ultimately collapsed to the ground and fainted.

"Geodude! Hit that Lucario with Rock Smash!" The younger boy cried.

Geodude lunged for Lucario, attempting to smash him with one of its powerful fists. However, Lucario deftly avoided every attempt Geodude tried. But the Geodude fiercely kept at it, determined to land a blow.

"Vegeta! Why don't you try Hydro Pump?" Leaf called out.

The Blastoise readied his water cannons. This one was really going to require some concentration; Geodude was all over the place, still trying to hit Lucario with one of its Rock Smashes. Vegeta took aim and focused. Then he launched the attack. And it hit.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting your Blastoise to land that attack with Geodude running all over like that," Riley exclaimed, clearly impressed.

"Well… he's been practicing that…" Leaf flushed slightly.

"You've taught him well."

As Vegeta let out another battle cry, Leaf frowned. Did she really train him well? Or was it just that _he_ was the one who was naturally talented? Really, it didn't seem as if she had much to do with it at all…

She didn't have long to think about it though, since the two Trainers had sent out their next set of Pokémon. A Sudowoodo and a Butterfree.

"Aura Sphere." Riley nodded to Lucario.

A blazing blue sphere formed between Lucario's paws. With a roar, the Pokémon directed the energy ball towards Sudowoodo. The Rock Pokémon ran for its life, but the move hit the tree solidly in the stomach. It winced from the pain, but did not faint.

"Let's try Skull Bash."

Vegeta withdrew into the safety of his shell, but the nearby Butterfree could still see his eyes. She shivered, wondering if it was possible that the Blastoise knew Mean Look.

"Butterfree! Use Supersonic!" the shorts clad boy yelled.

Butterfree promptly spat out a spiraling beam, causing Riley's Lucario to become dizzy.

"Sudowoodo! Low Kick!"

Lucario grimaced once the Sudowoodo kicked him squarely in the knee.

"Hang in there, Lucario," Riley said softly, so softly that Leaf doubted his Pokémon could even hear him. "Try another Aura Sphere."

The impact of Lucario's blue sphere caused the Sudowoodo to faint. Wasting no time, Vegeta slammed into the Butterfree, the sheer force of his shell knocking the butterfly out of the sky. The Bug Pokémon recovered quickly, however, and was soon back in the air, only a moderate amount of damage threatening her remaining strength.

"Use Supersonic, Butterfree!"

This time, Vegeta was struck by the beam, causing him to go loopy. Soon after, Riley called for Lucario to use Blaze Kick. However, since the Lucario was so confused, he only wound up injuring himself. Leaf hurriedly called for Vegeta to use his Hydro Pump attack. Thankfully for them, the attack nailed its target, causing Butterfree to crash to the ground, unconscious.

"I can't believe it! We just got creamed by a couple of hippies!" The shorts clad boy wailed.

"Never underestimate the power of hippies," the camper stated solemnly, shaking his head.

"We _aren't_ hippies!" Leaf exclaimed. "Honestly, what even gave you that crazy idea in the first place?!"

The young boy pointed at her and laughed. "Well, I'd start with that ridiculous hair!"

"Oh c'mon, man... We shouldn't 'label' them like that," the older boy sighed.

"Ridiculous?" Leaf touched her hair self-consciously. "My hair isn't… Is it?"

Riley shook his head and opened his mouth to reassure her, but before he could...

"Whatever, hippie lady! We're outta here!" the young kid called out obnoxiously as the two headed out.

"I am _not_ a hippie lady!" she shouted after them, barely managing to keep herself from stomping her foot.

"Hey," Riley rested his hand on her shoulder, "don't let it bother you."

Leaf jumped at his touch. It was nothing more than a comforting gesture, but she still hadn't expected it. "Right…"

"According to Lucario, we should be coming across quite a few more Trainers from here on out." Riley told her as he removed his hand.

"Okay. I'll be ready."


	6. Chapter 6: Galactic Battle

Riley and Leaf battled against plenty of other trainers. It was fun for the most part, and both Lucario and Vegeta got in some good practice. Eventually, however, Lucario led the group to some trainers with less than pure intentions…

"You're sure?" Riley asked his Pokémon.

"Hah!" Lucario cried.

"Hmm… Lucario is sensing some trainers with dark Auras up ahead," Riley informed Leaf.

"That doesn't sound good…" Leaf didn't know much about this Aura stuff, but she could tell things were getting serious now.

Lucario cried out again and headed up a gradual incline off of the regular path.

"Come on, we should be able to see them from up there," Riley directed as Leaf and Vegeta trailed along after them.

Once the four had reached the top of the incline, they all looked down to see several people dressed in matching gray suits. Each of them had a bowl haircut dyed light blue. They looked pretty stupid, in Leaf's opinion.

"Who are these guys? And what are they doing here, anyway?" Leaf wondered aloud. Lucario started to growl and snarl at them.

Noticing Lucario's odd behavior, Riley opened his mouth to speak, "Do you suppose those people are the ones causing all the steel types to go insane?"

"Maybe, I wouldn't put it past them," Leaf mused. Lucario continued to growl more threateningly, and she decided to back away from him a little.

"Hey! I remember those weirdoes!" Leaf piped up suddenly, "They were on the news a while ago; they stole a bunch of meteorites from Veilstone City!"

"Really?" Riley asked, "Why were they after meteorites?"

"Nobody knows. I think the question now is: what are they after this time?"

Leaf and Riley exchanged a nervous glance. This island was pretty much deserted; there certainly wasn't a police force or anything like that. If someone was going to serve up justice here, it was going to have to be them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING LAZING ABOUT? YOU NEED TO PREPEARE THIS SITE FOR EXCAVATION!" A harsh voice pierced the air. A new man appeared on the scene, apparently barking out orders to the rest.

"Who's he?" Leaf wondered.

"Their leader, apparently…" Riley frowned. Lucario scowled.

"Well, at any rate, it sounds like they're definitely after something in this mine…"

"It can't be ore; this place was completely cleared of that years ago. There's only Pokémon residing here now," Riley said thoughtfully.

"Now I'm really curious… Ready to confront them and figure out what they're up to?"

"Yes," Riley said resolutely, "We can't let them harm this place and all the innocent Pokémon inside!" Leaf nodded slowly; she was ready to show these freaks their place. She was feeling especially confident with Riley at her side; these thieves didn't stand a chance.

By the time Leaf and the others reached the mysterious thieves, nearly all of them had already cleared out.

"Cowards!" Leaf cried, "Where did they all go?"

"Hey! What're you two doing here?" one of the thieves asked gruffly.

"Get out of here now before we have to teach you a lesson," the other guy said menacingly and held out one of his Pokéballs. Leaf recognized him to be the leader barking out the orders earlier. Apparently now, the two were assigned to guard the area until the rest came back.

Leaf opened her mouth to retort, but Riley beat her to the punch, "You two are the ones who need to leave! I won't have you thieves causing trouble in my mine!" he declared loudly.

Leaf was a bit surprised; she hadn't expected Riley to react this strongly to the situation.

"Come on, Leaf! We need give it our all!" Riley called to her.

"You bet! Get in there, Vegeta!" Leaf cried.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta cried once he stood beside Lucario for battle. (Finally, he got the perfect chance to sound his battle cry.)

"Get out there, Sluggy!" the first thief cried as a Slugma appeared before him.

"Go, Croagunk!" the leader commanded as an ugly toad Pokémon appeared before him.

"Ew, what's that?" Leaf asked as she pulled out the pokédex.

"Croagunk, the toad Pokémon," the mechanical voice droned.

"Put that stupid thing away! I hate Pokédexes!" The owner of Croagunk ordered.

"No way, you're not my boss," Leaf retorted as she listened to the rest of what her Pokédex had to say.

"Croagunk, you know what to do! Show her what happens when a noob dares to challenge Team Galactic! Use Rock Smash!"

Croagunk leaped into the air and bounced off Vegeta's head, using him as a spring-board for his actual attack.

Leaf screamed and held up her arms for defense when she realized the attack was meant for her.

"Look out!" Riley shouted to her. Was she seriously going to just stand there and take the attack!

Luckily for Leaf, however, Lucario had sensed exactly what Croagunk had planned to do, and jumped in front of her to take the attack himself.

After hitting Lucario, Croagunk jumped back to its original position, smirking cockily. Lucario cringed slightly, but after he recovered, he snarled angrily at the Croagunk.

Leaf sank to her knees; she had never been attacked by a Pokémon before. The thought stunned and scared her. It was a good thing Lucario was so fast. Vegeta hadn't even seen it coming and had been thrown completely for a loop.

"Thank you, Lucario…" Leaf breathed gratefully. Lucario looked back at her, grinned slightly, and nodded.

"Are you all right, Leaf?" Riley asked, his voice filled with concern as he pulled her to her feet.

"I'm fine, thanks to Lucario," Leaf smiled gratefully at Lucario.

"What's the matter with you? To attack a lady like that; you've no honor." Riley growled at the grunts.

"Ahahahahaha! Why don't you just go home to your mommy now before things get worse?" the grunt laughed.

"You guys aren't so tough. That was just a cheap shot," Leaf scowled.

Vegeta looked as though his head might explode with rage. No one could get away with nearly attacking his trainer like that. No one! Without being commanded by Leaf, Vegeta unleashed a ferocious Hydro Cannon on Croagunk, practically drowning it with the sheer force of the water.

"Vegeta! That's enough! Don't over-do it!" Leaf cried.

"Wagh! Her Pokémon knows the legendary move, Hydro Cannon! No more messin' around!" the grunt quickly recalled Croagunk. The other grunt recalled Sluggy as well. "Time to let out the big guns the boss gave us for that promotion!"

The first sent out a particularly mean looking Machoke while his buddy sent out a Dustox (named Dusty, of course.)

"Now begins the real battle," Riley said ominously.

Notes: I made these grunts seem a lot tougher than they are in the game, because I wanted Leaf to see Team Galactic as more of a threat than a joke.


	7. Chapter 7: Galactic Defeat

Lucario and Vegeta glared at the opponents standing before them.

"Hey, Riley, Vegeta's going to have to wait a while to recharge his water…" Leaf explained quickly, "There's a reason why I don't have him use Hydro Cannon often…"

"Machoke! Quick! Use Thunder Punch on that Blastoise now before it can use Hydro Cannon again!" The grunt ordered his Pokémon.

Vegeta took the attack, and it caused a large amount of damage. Leaf winced slightly, "Hang in there, Vegeta...!"

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere," Riley ordered.

Lucario held his paws together to form a small, focused mass of bluish energy. He sent the energy flying straight towards Machoke, a direct hit.

"Dusty! Use Toxic on the Blastoise!" the second grunt cried.

A mist of purple smog gathered about Dustox's wings, and the Pokémon flapped them vigorously, sending the poison towards Vegeta. The water type cringed as he inhaled the purple air.

"Heh, heh! That cares care of that one!" the first grunt sneered. "Machoke, now use Focus Punch on that Lucario!"

"Oh, crud! Poison! That's about the last thing I need right now!" Leaf quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a Lava Cookie. She tossed her the tasty cookie to Vegeta; he caught it in his mouth and became instantly cured of the poisoning.

Meanwhile, Lucario was doing his best to dodge Machoke's attack. Unfortunately, Machoke's attack managed to graze the Lucario's arm. In retaliation, Riley's Lucario charged another Aura Sphere and blasted Machoke again with another direct hit.

"What? She healed the Blastoise?" the second grunt could hardly believe that someone actually bothered to carry around items. "Ah, whatever! Dusty! Attack that Lucario instead! Use your Stun Spore!"

Dusty performed the attack, and this time, aimed straight for Lucario. The fighting and steel type couldn't easily dodge this sort of attack, and wound up inhaling the crippling air just like Vegeta had earlier.

"Hah! Now, Machoke! Use Thunder Punch on the Blastoise again!"

"Vegeta! Withdraw into your shell and prepare your Skull Bash Attack!" Leaf commanded.

Vegeta obeyed just in time, and the Machoke's Thunder Punch inflicted little damage on Vegeta's powerful shell.

"Riley, here! Give this to your Lucario!" Leaf held out one of her Lava Cookies expectantly.

Riley looked a bit surprised by this abrupt gesture. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, why not? Lucario's already saved my life once today, so it's really only the least I could do. So, just hurry up and take it already!"

Riley looked doubtful. "But… Isn't it against the rules?"

Leaf sighed. "Really, Riley? We're fighting a couple of crooks here, and you're freaking out over breaking some tiny little rule?"

Riley gave in and took it, "Well, you heard her, Lucario. We need to win this battle!" And with that, he tossed the morsel to his Lucario. The Aura Pokémon caught it, ate it, and became magically cured of the poison. Lucario flexed, glad to finally be rid of the crippling paralysis. He turned back and flashed a small grin at Leaf in appreciation.

"What? That one too?" the second grunt was not counting on Leaf having extras.

"That's what you get for using the same attack over and over again you numbskull!" The first grunt barked at him.

"Well, okay... Dusty! Use Silver Wind on… Lucario!" the second grunt quickly yelled.

Lucario braced himself and took the attack head on.

"Machoke! Use your Fire Punch!" the first grunt grinned.

"Lucario! Look out!" Riley cried out in alarm.

"Blastoise! Use your Skull Bash on that Machoke! Take it out!" Leaf cried. Vegeta's shell suddenly sprang to life and slammed into Machoke, sending him reeling. The fighting type was too stunned from the attack to carry out his own orders. He flinched.

"Lucario! One more Aura Sphere should do it!" Riley called out.

Lucario grinned as he charged another Aura Sphere. The attack smashed into Machoke and knocked him out.

The two grunts stared at the fainted Machoke and then at each other.

"Eh... that was our strongest Pokémon… What now?" the second grunt looked as though he might wet himself in fright, "We can't possibly beat them with the runts we have left… We… failed…"

"RUN AWAY!" The first grunt suddenly shrieked. The second grunt recalled Dusty, and the two took off running like scared children.

"Wow, that was professional…" Leaf commented.

"Yeah…" Riley agreed. "But, at least now the steel Pokémon are safe. For the moment, anyway."

"So what happens when more of them come back?" Leaf wondered.

"Don't worry about that; _I'll_ be waiting for them." Riley grinned, "I was planning on sticking around town for a while, and I'll be sure to keep an eye on things around here myself… with the help of Lucario, of course."

"That's great." Leaf smiled. "… Now I only wish I could stick around as well and help you out… But, I've got my research that I'll need to get started on." she finished as she returned Vegeta to his Pokéball.

"That's fine. I can handle it from here. You really were a great help to me today. And…" Riley adjusted his hat in order to see her better. "I'd like to give you something to express my thanks."

"You don't have to do anything for me. I'm just happy to help." Leaf said quickly.

"I know, and that's why I want to give this Egg to you, Leaf."

"You want to give me an Egg?" she repeated, hardly believing her ears.

"Yes, I've been waiting to give that egg to the right Trainer. My hope is that you'll travel the world with this Pokémon. Take it with you on your journey."

"…I'll be more than happy to..." Leaf said quietly as Riley handed her his little egg.

"I know you'll take good care of it and raise it well," he smiled at her, "I've seen first-hand how well you treat your Pokémon."

"Thank you." Leaf blushed. She looked down out of embarrassment, and noticed the time on her watch, "_What_! How is it already _seven_? I've gotta get out of here!" She had still wanted to take on that Gym Leader, and she knew she'd probably have to leave Canalave just as soon as she got her assignment from that Professor Rowan character!

"Well, good-bye then. And take care on your way out." Riley said kindly.

"You're not coming?" It was pretty late already, and Leaf was certain the ferry didn't run twenty four hours. Just when did Riley intend to return to the mainland? Was he spending the night here?

"Lucario and I are just going to poke around here for a little while before the ferry arrives." Riley explained to her. "We'll be on soon, don't worry. You go on ahead."

Leaf's stomach growled suddenly. Apparently it seemed to agree with Riley.

"Okay, bye then." Leaf waved before she turned and took off running.

Once she reached the ferry, Leaf hurried aboard, hoping to both find something to eat and manage to eat it before the boat started on its way. She really didn't want to get seasick while eating. Luckily, she managed to find a sandwich joint within the ship's interior, and she gulped down her food as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, she was too slow and wound up finishing her meal several minutes after the boat had already started on its way back to Canalave.

As soon as she finished, Leaf headed back to the deck and watched the effects of the waning sunlight on the sea. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps approach.

"There you are, Leaf! What are you doing out here?" Riley's familiar voice sounded out.

"Just admiring the view." she explained. It was just then that she realized they were the only passengers currently on deck.

"It's nice." Riley agreed. It was a long time before he spoke again. "So you said you were doing research?"

"Yeah, only… I don't find out what exactly the professors want me to research until tomorrow."

Riley chuckled. "No hints, huh?"

"Nope, none." She smiled in defeat. She sighed as she watched the flock of Wingull soaring through the sky. The two didn't speak for a long time after that, content to watch the scene pass by them.

Leaf noticed that they were nearing the shore. "The second this boat stops, I'm running away! So don't say I didn't warn you!"

Riley chuckled again. "Well, then, I suppose I'll have to say good-bye for now."

"Bye." she said quickly, eager to take off.

Riley turned to head back to the boat.

"Wait, where are you going?" Leaf looked at him with confusion.

"Bathroom." he said bluntly and pointed with his thumb in the general direction of the door leading back inside the boat.

"Oh," Leaf realized, "I guess it is good-bye then."

"Good-bye." he smiled slightly and left.

Seconds after Riley left, the boat reached its destination. Once again, Leaf was the first one off the boat. So she ran to the Canalave Gym at her top speed.

As soon as she reached the place, she noticed a man leaving. She was about to ask him where the Gym Leader was, but he beat her to the punch by speaking first, "WHOA! Where are you going in such a hurry! Are you here to challenge the Gym?"

"Yes!" Leaf said breathlessly. "Do you know where I could find the Gym Leader?"

"Gwahahaha! If you're looking for the Gym Leader, then you've found the right man!" he bellowed.

"What?" she exclaimed. "_You're_ the Gym Leader?" Now that she'd seen him up close, she recognized him to be the Gym Leader of some other town.

"Yup, that's right!" Byron planted his shovel into the ground and stood beside it proudly.

"But, I thought you were the Gym Leader of, like, Oreburgh or something…"

Byron laughed rather loudly. "I was, but that was _two years ago_. Now, my son Roark runs the Gym over in Oreburgh, and I run the one here!"

"Oh, so that explains it; I guess I'm pretty behind the times, huh…" Leaf said sheepishly. "But anyway, I'm here to challenge you! Here and now!"

"Hmm… I hate to disappoint you, but I was actually just about to head home..." Byron scratched his chin thoughtfully. "How about we battle tomorrow, first thing?"

Leaf considered, thinking carefully. If they battled in the morning, she should have enough time to meet Professor Rowan in the afternoon… She'd probably have to skip lunch… Well, she'd have a big breakfast and a late lunch, maybe. "Well, okay! That sounds good to me!"

"Great!" Byron exclaimed enthusiastically, "It'll be the battle of a LIFETIME!"

"Uh, okay… Well, see you then!"

Leaf turned to head off for the Pokémon Center, while Byron headed off for the ferry back to Iron Island. On his way there, Byron ran into Riley, who as usual, was the last, lone straggler off the boat long after everyone else had already left.

"RILEY! Back from Iron Island, I see? You find any interesting fossils?" Byron asked good-naturedly, his voice still a tad louder than it needed to be.

"No, not this time." he replied.

"Hey, listen! I've got myself a Gym Battle tomorrow morning, first thing! You should come and watch!"

"Really? You haven't had one of those for a while now, huh?"

"Nope! But this one looks promising!" Byron hoisted his shovel onto his shoulder now.

Riley wondered to himself just who this new challenger might be, and he immediately thought of Leaf. "This challenger, did you happen to catch her name?"

Byron scratched his chin thoughtfully. "No… I don't think so… But WAIT! How'd you know the challenger was a girl?"

"Lucky guess." Riley quipped mysteriously and turned to leave. "Well, until tomorrow, then. I'll be sure to come by and watch this match."

"Well, good! I'll see you then." Byron said gruffly as he turned to leave as well. That Riley… he certainly was an odd fellow…

oOoOoOo

Meanwhile, deep within the heart of Veilstone City, a man named Cyrus sat at his chair, high above a group of similarly dressed grunts attending to several monitors.

"Master Cyrus, sir, we've just received word that the two guards assigned to Iron Island have fled the scene. Apparently, they were 'chased away' by two tough trainers..." A young grunt announced after he rushed to Cyrus' side.

"Hmmph… They've made a mess of things…" Cyrus frowned with displeasure.

"Heh, leave it to a couple of grunts to screw everything up…" a woman named Mars snickered quietly.

The young grunt who had been sent to deliver the message flushed in embarrassment.

"How true, indeed, Mars. I assign you to take care of Iron Island; I know you won't fail me." Cyrus said smoothly.

"Of course, Master Cyrus. I won't let you down." Mars bowed gracefully.

"Jupiter." Cyrus called to a purple haired young woman who had been standing nearby listening.

"Yes, sir?"

"I'd like for you to take over Mars' mission for the Valley Windworks."

"Leave it to me..." Jupiter's lips curled into a smirk.


	8. Chapter 8: Battle Byron

Leaf gobbled down as much breakfast as she could possibly fit in her stomach. Then she headed off for the Canalave Gym, ready for her first Sinnoh badge.

Leaf couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as she wandered throughout the Gym, looking for Byron. She never really felt nervous while battling a Gym Leader; it was the wait before the battle began that psyched her out.

"There you are!" a voice shouted behind her. Leaf jumped, and her heart practically leaped out of her chest. Thankfully, it was only Byron and his booming voice.

"If it isn't my newest challenger!" Byron exclaimed happily.

"Oh, good, you found the challenger," another man walked in, most likely Byron's referee.

"Yeah, that's me," Leaf said once she had collected herself.

"And the challenger's name is…" The referee looked at her.

"Leaf. Leaf of Cerulean City," Leaf supplied, knowing the next question he'd ask.

"Very good," the referee said and led the way to the arena.

"Get ready, Leaf!" Byron bellowed, "You're in for the match of your LIFE!" he cried rather dramatically.

"I can hardly wait," Leaf smiled.

Byron and Leaf took their places at the battlefield, ready to begin. The stadium lights flashed on to their brightest capacity for the battle. Leaf blinked in the sudden, harsh light.

"Well, if it isn't Riley! You did show up for the match after all!" Byron practically shouted.

"Riley?" Leaf could hardly believe her ears. She looked up in the stands and sure enough, there was Riley, sitting there with his Lucario beside him. Why had Riley decided to come? And how did he even know she was having a match today? She could see him wave slightly at her. She returned the gesture awkwardly and began to feel nervous again. Leaf couldn't easily remember the last time she had an audience for one of her Gym battles. When she was ten years old, her parents and the rest of her family had attended her first match with the Cerulean Gym Leaders, and sometimes some of her siblings might attend a match if they happened to be in the area, but she couldn't even think of a time when someone outside her family had witnessed one of her matches.

"Are you ready for this, Leaf?" Byron cried and swung his shovel around dramatically.

"Yeah, you bet," Leaf said and decided to focus on her opponent in an effort to calm her nerves, if only slightly.

"The battle between Byron, the Canalave City Gym Leader, and Leaf of Cerulean City has now begun!" The referee announced.

"This should be a good battle," Riley said to Lucario as he leaned forward in interest.

"Mmmm…" Lucario merely growled in response. He could sense Leaf's heightened nerves. Lucario folded his arms across his chest and leaned back to watch events unfold.

"Come out, Bronzor!" Byron cried as he released a Pokémon that looked vaguely like a mirror.

"Bronzor? What's that?" Leaf pulled out the pokédex for further information.

"Bronzor. The… frzzz … brrmph… eeepfrm…." The pokédex cackled.

"What's wrong with my pokédex?" Leaf cried, shaking it wildly. It cackled some more and died out. "What! What am I supposed to do?" Leaf's pokédex had never broken down like this before.

"…Is something wrong…?" the referee asked her.

"I… uh… well, whatever!" Leaf shoved the stupid pokédex back in her bag. That stupid grunt back on Iron Island probably cursed it somehow. Instead she pulled out a pokéball.

"All right now, Blaze, I'm counting on you," Leaf tossed the pokéball and released a Flareon.

Byron, with his shovel resting on his shoulder, had practically fallen asleep with all this waiting. When he saw Flareon, however, his eyes glowed with delight, "Finally! The match I've been WAITING FOR!"

Leaf laughed slightly. Man, this Byron guy was a real character. The referee glanced at both Pokémon quickly before raising his arm dramatically, "The challenger gets the first strike. Now, let the battle begin!" he cried as he lowered his arm.

"What are you waiting for, Leaf? Do your WORST!" Byron shouted as he swung his shovel around again.

"Blaze! Use Flamethrower!" Leaf cried. Blaze unleashed a horrific sprout of flames from her mouth and aimed it at Bronzor, who made no attempt to dodge the attack. It took it full force, but didn't faint.

'That Bronzor must have really high defense… Byron must've given it plenty of Iron,' Leaf thought to herself, 'There's no other way it'd survive that strong of an attack.'

"HA! How do you like THAT?" Byron shouted as he flung the shovel around, "I LOVE DEFENSE!" Several small explosions went off behind him.

"Uh, is it really such a great idea to just shout out your entire strategy like that?" Leaf wondered aloud.

"Hmm? What was that?" Byron didn't hear.

"Never mind."

"Bronzor! It's your turn now! Use… IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFEEEEEEENSE!"

"Okay! We get it already!" Leaf covered her ears. Bronzor began to glow as its defense rose.

"Just great," Leaf grumbled. This battle might last a long time, "Blaze! Keep using Flamethrower! It can't just stand there and take it forever!"

Flareon nodded and continued her assault while Bronzor just kept defending itself.

"Alright, Bronzor! Use GYRO BALL!" Byron shouted. Bronzor's glowing defense coalesced to form a ball of energy that was headed straight for Blaze!

"Look out!" Leaf cried. The blast fell just short of a direct hit; the attack grazed Blaze's arm.

"Are you alright, Blaze?" Leaf asked. Blaze shook it off and nodded, "'Good. We need to finish this battle now before Bronzor's defense flies off the charts."

Byron shook his head, "You'll never defeat me with offensive strategies alone. DEFENSE is the way to go!" he shouted again and more explosions went off.

"Where does he get all those explosions from?" Leaf wondered aloud. Byron certainly was dramatic.

"Anyway, Blaze, finish this with Fire Blast," Leaf crossed her fingers, hoping that the attack would hit. Blaze unleashed her strongest attack to the best of her ability. And it paid off. The attack sent Bronzor for a loop, and it fainted.

"Bronzor is unable to battle!" The referee announced.

"You did well, Bronzor," Byron recalled his Pokémon. "Good work, Leaf. But it will take a lot more than that to take my Pokémon down!"

"Thanks, Blaze, you really pulled through for me," Leaf smiled at Flareon.

"Flareon!" Blaze cried and readied itself for the next battle, eager to begin.

"Come out, Steelix!" Byron shouted. The giant iron snake Steelix appeared before him in a flash of red light. It let out a menacing growl.

"Don't let its size intimidate you, Blaze!" Leaf cried. Blaze didn't need any reassurance; she was determined to win this battle too, "Alright! Start with one of your flamethrowers!"

A stream of flames shot out of Blaze's mouth and hit Steelix. Steelix groaned a bit in pain, but that was all.

'Geez, how many Irons can this guy afford anyway?' Leaf groaned inwardly.

"Hah! How do you like my Steelix?" Byron said proudly, "He's the strongest of his kind!"

'Huh, I don't know about that,' Leaf thought to herself as she remembered the crazy Steelix she saw at Iron Island.

"Steelix! Use Iron Defense!"

"No, not that again," Leaf moaned as Byron let out another screaming chant. "Rrragh! Blaze, use your Will-o- Wisp!" Blaze blew several small white-hot embers toward Steelix.

"Quick, Steelix! Use Screech!"

Steelix screeched as loudly as possible, and that was pretty loud considering Steelix was a giant rock snake monster. Leaf braced herself and covered her ears; the Pokémon was so loud that even Flareon was being buffeted and its Will-o-Wisp had been blown out.

"Oh no! He used Screech as a defensive move!" Leaf realized when she saw that Blaze's attack had been nullified.

"Ha, ha, how do you like that move, Leaf? You'll never break through my defenses because I LOVE DEFENSE!" Byron swung his shovel around and struck a pose as small explosions went off.

"Whatever! Blaze, use Flamethrower once more!"

Blaze's attack hit Steelix squarely, and the Pokémon couldn't help but grimace a little in pain.

"Hang in there, Steelix, and use Bind!" Byron shouted.

'Not good,' Leaf winced slightly as her Flareon was wrapped by the mighty Steelix.

"Looks like Leaf's in a little bit of trouble there," Riley noted as he watched up in the stands. His Lucario merely exhaled through his nose. "Do you think Flareon will hold up?" Riley asked his Pokémon. Lucario grunted as if to say things could go either way at this point.

"Come on, Flareon," Leaf said weakly. Flareon was probably already tired from the last battle, why had she pushed her so hard?

Blaze cried out in pain. It felt like Steelix was crushing her bones.

"Blaze! Fire Blast that Steelix in its face!" Leaf cried suddenly. Just because Blaze was in a bind, that didn't mean she couldn't open her mouth to disperse her mighty flames.

Blaze did as she was told, and even put in extra power. And this time, Steelix was the one to faint.

"Well, well. I'm impressed. I wasn't expecting your Flareon to pull though for this long," Byron said as he recalled his Pokémon.

"You were amazing, Blaze," Leaf grinned. Flareon ran over to her, and she hugged her Pokémon before returning her to the pokéball for a well-earned rest.

"Wow, that Flareon of hers is pretty tough," Riley said, "Turns out she DOES in fact have other tough Pokémon besides Blastoise."

Lucario smirked slightly. He hadn't ever seen Riley so impressed by another trainer before.

"Now it's time to send out my prized Pokémon…" Byron said fondly. He pulled out a pokéball and released a relatively small, ugly Pokémon that looked like it had a boulder for a face.

"Uh, what is that?" Leaf wondered. She pulled out the pokédex.

"Bastiodon. The…frzzz…. Zzrrmph…."

Leaf growled and shoved it back into her bag. Well, that pokédex was now officially useless. Byron could have told her what the stupid thing was called, and she was sure he would, over and over again.

"At any rate, it looks like a rock type, and even if it isn't, I'm sure my Vegeta will defeat it in no time," Leaf thought aloud as she pulled out Vegeta's pokéball.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta cried and spread out his arms as he sounded his battle cry.

"Ah, a Blastoise! Haven't battled one of those before," Byron mused, "This should be interesting!"

"But you'll never be able to defeat me because I have my BASTIODON!" Byron continued, "AND I LOVE BASTIODON!"

"Okay," Leaf couldn't help but smile at Byron's gregarious personality. But then again, how could you not like someone who rigged explosions to go off every time he said one of his favorite words?

"Vegeta! Start by using Surf!" Leaf cried.

Vegeta sent a mighty wave crashing down on Bastiodon. The attack was powerful, but it didn't cause much damage thanks to Bastiodon's high defense.

"It should be illegal to give your Pokémon that much Iron! It's like giving it steroids or something!" Leaf wanted to pull her hair out. These battles were taking forever! She still had to see Professor Rowan!

"Bastiodon! Use IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFEEEEENSE!" Byron screamed as he swung the shovel around, "Because I LOVE DEFEENSE! AND I LOVE BASTIODON!" And of course, explosions went off.

"Errgh… Vegeta! Blow that thing away with your Hydro Pump!" Leaf shouted to be heard above Byron. Vegeta unleashed one of his mighty Hydro Pumps on Bastiodon. The attack caused considerable damage, but it wasn't enough to knock it out.

"You can't beat my BASTIODON with offensive attacks alone!" Byron cried, "Now, Bastiodon, use your Gyro Ball!"

"You want defense? I'll show it to you!" Leaf clenched a fist, "Vegeta, use Skull Bash!"

Vegeta hid in his shell before Bastiodon's Gyro Ball could hit.

"Oh, so you're using a defensive move…" Byron said.

"Yeah, and what will you do now?"

"Use IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFEEEENSE!"

Leaf hung her head. She really should've seen that one coming…

"Now, Vegeta! Unleash your Skull Bash!"

Vegeta's shell spun in midair and slammed into Bastiodon. Of course, Bastiodon's skin was too strong and rough for there to be much damage.

"I LOVE BASTIODON!" Byron shouted. And then, of course, he called for Bastiodon to use Iron Defense again.

"This is starting to drive me insane! Vegeta! Use Hydro Cannon now!" Leaf crossed her fingers; it was all or nothing now. Waiting for Vegeta to recharge his power would take even longer, but she needed the extra power because she was sure Hydro Pump wouldn't cut it.

Thankfully for Leaf, Hydro Cannon was enough. Bastiodon fell to the ground and fainted.

"The challenger Leaf has won!" The referee cried.

"Great job, Vegeta! You did it!" Leaf cried out and snuggled against Vegeta's shell as he gave her his one armed hug.

"Hmmph. My sturdy Pokémon have been defeated. Good work, Leaf," Byron sounded gruff, but he grinned afterward, "The future of Pokémon is bright thanks to young trainers like you."

"Thanks," Leaf sounded embarrassed.

"That was an impressive battle!" Riley said to Leaf as she waited outside the Gym for Byron to return with her badge, "You didn't even need to use three Pokémon!"

"It was fun," Leaf said modestly. She looked over at Lucario, and even he was smiling at her.

"But hey, I was wondering… how did you know I had a Gym battle today? I never even told you about it, did I?" Now that she thought of it, she have may mentioned her intention to challenge the Gym to Riley and simply forgot that she even told him.

"Nope, but Byron did. I ran into him yesterday and he told me about it."

"Oh, well, thanks for coming out to see it; I can't even really remember the last time somebody watched one of my Gym matches."

"That's a shame. It was a real pleasure to watch."

"Leaf, I have your badge right here," Byron came out from seemingly nowhere and almost made her jump.

"Ah, so you two know each other?" Byron asked before Leaf could even open her mouth.

"We've met," Riley smiled.

"Well, Leaf, I'm happy to present you with this Gym badge," Byron said as he held out a case containing the badge, "You've earned it!"

"Thanks so much!" Leaf beamed as she took the badge. And then, she struck a cheesy pose as she held out the badge… Just kidding… Leaf doesn't do that. Instead, she held it in her hands and looked over its sleek shine. Her first Sinnoh badge.

"This is so great! I'm so happy!" Leaf's heart burst and she couldn't resist hugging Riley's Lucario. Lucario just froze in her arms and when she finally released him, he looked as though he had just survived a heart attack.

"What? You hug the Pokémon and not Riley?" Byron just looked confused.

Leaf laughed embarrassedly. She couldn't tell what Riley thought because he had hidden his face under his hat, "I just can't help it, you know. His Pokémon is just so cute," Leaf looked at her watch, wishing for a possible distraction. And she found it.

"Aaah!" she practically screamed, "I completely forgot! I was supposed to see Professor Rowan ten minutes ago!"

"Go!" Riley urged her.

"You'd better hurry!" Byron added.

Leaf waved hurriedly at no one in particular, "Bye, you guys!" She took off running in the direction of the city's library, "Thanks again for the badge, Byron! Bye, Riley! I'll see you later!" she called as she ran away.

"Bye!" Byron grinned as he called out to her. Then he turned to face Riley, "She's a cute one, huh? You have good taste, Riley."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Riley said coldly as he walked away with his Lucario trailing along behind him.

Byron shrugged and returned to his Gym. Young people sure are strange…

Note: I decided to make Gym battles more like the ones on the TV show because they seem more interesting when you can only use three Pokémon.

Plus, I made Byron act crazy like he does on TV because I think he's funnier that way. In the game, he actually seems like a normal guy, and I prefer him to be a bit crazy. Then it gets you wondering how on earth Roark can be his son.


	9. Chapter 9: Research for Rowan

By the time Leaf reached Canalave Library, she was completely breathless. Running certainly wasn't her specialty. And that seemed like an understatement at the moment…

Leaf burst through the doorway, causing the librarian and many of the visitors to turn and stare.

"Uh, sorry," Leaf said sheepishly.

"Sshhh! I must ask you to be quiet in the library!" The librarian growled. Although… her statement was most likely louder and more disruptive than Leaf's apology…

"Sorry," Leaf bowed slightly and whispered. Then she hurriedly took off for the stairs.

"No running!" The librarian hissed.

Leaf slowly walked up the stairs. As soon as she was out of the librarian's line of sight, though, she went back to her original pace. Normally, she'd mind her manners better, but this was an emergency!

Once Leaf reached the top floor, she noticed an older gentleman making his way to a bookshelf. He had his back to her, but she was certain that he was Professor Rowan.

"I'm so sorry, Professor!" Leaf said breathlessly, "I lost track of time and-"

"That's quite alright! Quite alright! You see, dear, I've only just arrived myself," Rowan said as he turned to face her.

Leaf leaned on her knees and tried to catch her breath, "Really…?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Now, have a seat here, young Leaf," Rowan gestured to the chair opposite to where his research papers and such were resting upon the table.

"Thank you, Professor, and it's nice to meet you," Leaf said as she shook his hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Rowan took his seat and she took hers.

"Now, let's get straight to business, shall we? I assume you're eager to take on your first task in Sinnoh, hmm? Oh, but first, what do you think of Sinnoh so far? Do you like it here?"

"Yes, most definitely, it's a wonderful place. I've gotten in some Pokémon training and research already, taken on a Gym, and even made a new friend," Leaf smiled to herself as she thought of all the great things happening to her here in Sinnoh, maybe she'd take on a permanent position here… No, she was a wanderer after all. It was in her nature.

"That's wonderful. To be young again…" Rowan seemed to be getting lost in his own thoughts. He coughed suddenly as he realized he was off topic.

"As I was saying, I'll get straight to the point: I want for you to study the three legendary Lake Pokémon."

"Legendary Lake Pokémon…?" Leaf repeated, thinking of some fancy fish Pokémon.

Rowan pulled open a book and turned it to face Leaf, "Mesprit… Azelf… and Uxie…" Rowan pointed at a picture of each Pokémon in the book as he said their names.

"Hmm…" Leaf said thoughtfully. Each of these Pokémon looked remotely similar. They looked like fairies in Leaf's opinion. They each had small grey bodies, red jewels on their foreheads, and two tails. Mesprit had what looked like pink dreadlocks, Azelf's head was blue and shaped like a chameleon's or a dinosaur's head, and Uxie was pretty ugly. Uxie looked like he had one side of a yellow fruit shell for hair. On top of that, his eyes were closed completely.

Leaf frowned. Now that she thought of it, Azelf's eyes were open, Mesprit's were partially opened, and Uxie's were completely closed. Other than the colors and 'hairstyles', that was the only difference between these Pokémon.

"Uhm, why are these Pokémon referred to as 'Lake Pokémon'?" Leaf asked.

"Each of these Pokémon resides in one of the Lakes of Sinnoh." Rowan told her, "Mesprit resides in Lake Verity, Azelf is in Lake Valor, and Uxie lives in Lake Acuity."

"If you know where all these Pokémon are, why haven't other trainers figured it out yet and tried to capture them?" Leaf inquired.

"The legendary Lake Pokémon only appear to trainers who have proven their worth. If you're lucky, you may see them," Rowan explained.

"And if I'm 'unlucky' so to speak… What happens then?"

"I have confidence in you, Leaf. I have read your research, and I have only heard good things about you from Professor Oak. I am confident that they will appear for you," Rowan said warmly.

"Wow, thank you," Leaf replied, embarrassed.

"I'll do my best, Professor," Leaf told him as she got up to leave.

"Thank you, Leaf. And good luck," Rowan smiled before he returned to his books.

"Thanks. See you soon!"

"And remember, Leaf!" Rowan suddenly called after her. Leaf stopped short and listened. "If you ever need to find anything on the Legendary Lake Pokémon, come to this library. I'm certain you will find any information you'd need here," Rowan said. He sounded somewhat ominous, and that made Leaf nervous.

"Mmkay, got it!" Leaf feigned confidence. As she walked down the stairs, she shook the thoughts off and decided to forget about them. After all, her journey was just beginning, now wasn't the time to think of such things.

Once she left the library, Leaf sighed as she felt the sun warm her skin. She wasn't the type to get tan, but it was nice to feel warm and peaceful in good weather. Guu! Of course, she was starving. She hurried off to find herself something to eat. As she walked through the crowded city, she saw Riley sitting outside some sort of café and decided to go there.

"Hey, Riley, can I join you?" Leaf asked.

Riley looked up, startled to see her, "Oh, yes, of course."

Leaf sat down and glanced at the menu. She was really hungry. Riley wasn't eating anything; he looked to be reading a newspaper and finishing some kind of drink.

"Hi, Lucario," Leaf added with a smile. Lucario had been watching the people walk past and merely nodded in her direction to show his acknowledgement.

"So, how did your meeting with Professor Rowan go?" Riley asked.

"Good, and I finally figured out what I'm going to research!" Leaf exclaimed.

"Are you here to eat or just chat?" A bored looking waiter asked Leaf. He didn't seem to care or remotely notice he had broken off conversation. Leaf didn't care; she was happy he'd come. She could finally eat!

After the ordering was taken care of, Riley looked to Leaf for answers, "What are you researching?"

"Oh yeah, the legendary Lake Pokémon, Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie," Leaf wasn't really sure whether she was allowed to tell people about this, but she figured Riley was safe.

"Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie…." Riley repeated thoughtfully, "I thought they were only legends."

Leaf shrugged, "The professor thinks I can find them at the three lakes of Sinnoh, Verity, Valor, and Acuity."

"Do _you_ think you can find them there?" Riley asked.

"I dunno, but I'll try," Leaf said.

"You must be a pretty good researcher for them to ask so much of you," Riley commented.

"I don't know."

"So… I assume you're leaving Canalave soon then…" Riley stated.

"Yeah…" Leaf trailed off. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that.

"We should keep in touch," Riley shifted as he reached around in his pockets for a paper, "You have a cell phone?"

"No, I gave up on that a long time ago. I travel a lot, and half the time, I don't even get coverage. Regardless of whatever those stupid commercials on TV say. I figured it wasn't even worth it and decided to abandon cell phones forever," Leaf said somewhat dramatically.

"Okay, an email address?"

"Sure, I can give you that," Leaf chuckled, "We can web chat; that's how I contact Professor Oak."

"Sounds good," Riley smiled.

"I'll be sure to give you updates on that egg you gave me," Leaf told him. "Hey, speaking of that egg, what's in it anyway?"

"I can't tell you that," Riley said mysteriously.

"Why not?"

"If I tell you, you won't be surprised," Riley told her.

"Who cares? Just tell me!"

"No."

"Here's your food, ma'am," the waiter said as he plopped the plate in front of her.

"Thanks!" Leaf was eager to finally eat her lunch.

While Leaf ate, the two trainers chatted casually. After she finished her meal, Leaf felt a bit sad. She'd have to leave Canalave soon to get started on her research. She hadn't expected to cultivate such a fondness for this city and its people.

"Your bill," the waiter set a piece of paper on the table and walked away. Both trainers reached for the sheet of paper, but Riley got it first. Leaf assumed that Riley was just checking how much it cost, but he reached around in his pocket for cash.

"Hey, you can't pay for all that," Leaf insisted, "You didn't even eat anything."

"Yes, I did. I ate before you got here," Riley explained.

Leaf opened her mouth to protest, but Riley spoke first, "Don't worry about it. I've got it." And he handed the bill and his money to the passing waiter.

"Well, thanks for that," Leaf said.

"It's nothing," Riley replied. The two trainers and Lucario got up to leave. They walked together to the edge of town.

"Well… I guess I'd better get going now…" Leaf said she gazed at her black boots.

"Yeah… Hopefully we'll see each other again soon," Riley said.

"I sure hope so," Leaf looked up at Riley again. "But in the meantime, I wanted to give you something before I left."

"Really? What's that?"

"Well, I figured since you gave me that egg, I wanted to give you something in return; it's not much but, it's kind of all I have to offer…" Leaf pulled a bunch of papers out of her bag, "It's a copy of my research, the research I took while on Iron Island."

"Iron Island? How did you pull all this together so fast? You were just there yesterday!" Riley said with surprise.

"I kinda worked pretty hard last night so I could finish before we parted ways…" Leaf looked sheepish, "You know, I figured you might be sorta interested in it, probably the reason why you came to Iron Island was to find Pokémon and stuff…"

"Yes, I'll be happy to read it. And thank you."

"It's nothing really…" Leaf said. Then she turned a little to focus on Lucario, "Bye, Rukario, I'll miss you, too," Leaf giggled as she petted his head. Based on his last reaction, she figured that he didn't want another hug.

Lucario grumbled quietly, but he still looked sad to see her go.

"Bye, Riley! I'll be sure to take good care of your egg!" Leaf said as she turned to leave.

"Good-bye, Leaf," Riley said to her. Leaf gave them both one last look before she left off on her next journey.

Riley and Lucario waited until she had disappeared from sight before they headed off for the docks. Riley still needed to protect Iron Island from those galactic grunts. He was determined to see it through to the very end. He couldn't just stand by while steel Pokémon were in trouble.

Notes: I decided to have Leaf wear boots instead of tennis shoes and leg warmers like she does in the game Pokémon LeafGreen. Leg warmers are just too tacky for normal people to wear regularly… in my opinion anyway.

Oh, and in case you haven't noticed already, Leaf is much older in my fanfiction than she is in the game as well. I don't like the whole notion that game heroes can't grow up at all. (Like seriously, how long has Ash been ten years old, anyway?) It's just not realistic.

My fanfiction is set about ten years or so after Leaf gets her first Pokémon. I didn't want to write about a novice trainer. It seems more exciting to me when the trainer is tough and still has trouble with her opponents. It means the enemies are tough too.


	10. Chapter 10: Get Ready Mesprit

Leaf smiled as the wind blew against her face. She'd miss Canalave, but she was glad to be on the road again. She loved seeing the open road before her; it seemed to be beckoning to her to start a fresh and new journey different from all the others she had already taken in her life. It felt great!

Leaf had run into a couple trainers here and there, but she managed to defeat them with relative ease. After being pitted against Byron, beating anyone else felt like a cakewalk. She hadn't gotten too far when she reached giant lake. Well… Leaf wasn't certain whether she had come across a lake or the ocean. She looked to her Sinnoh map for guidance. She wasn't the best with maps, and from what she could figure, it seemed like it was… totally unclear. Well, it didn't matter. She just needed to get across this body of water, and then she'd be clear for Jubilife City. At least there was no forest to get lost in for days on end.

"Okay," Leaf pulled out a pokéball, "Vegeta! I'm gonna need your help to get across this water. Think you can help me out?"

"Blastoise!" Vegeta belly flopped into the massive body of water. And you can only imagine how crazy that would look.

"Aaagh! Watch it! You got me all wet!" Leaf cried. Vegeta looked sheepish and hid his most of his face underwater.

"Aw, that's alright… I guess you were just excited to swim around again, huh?" Leaf grinned. She never really could stay mad at her Pokémon for long. Blastoise perked up again and swam closer to the edge of the water for Leaf to hop on his back.

"Okay, let's go!" Leaf cried as she stepped onto Vegeta and sat down on the back of his shell.

Crossing the body of water took a lot longer than she had initially imagined. But Leaf decided to stay on Vegeta's back even after they had passed some docks because she wanted Vegeta to have a chance to swim longer. Leaf noticed several fishermen out on the docks fishing. She looked down at the water, trying to see if there really were any good catches out here.

"Ugh," Leaf couldn't help but grimace when she saw what seemed to her like hundreds of Tentacool. All the good Pokémon were probably deeper underwater. Leaf had a fishing rod, but she wasn't really up for fishing. Besides, she wanted to get to Lake Verity sooner rather than later.

"Thanks, Vegeta," Leaf said as she hopped back onto dry land. Then she recalled her Pokémon and walked the rest of the way to Jubilife City. Once she got there, Leaf gasped. This city was huge! It looked comparable to Saffron or Celadon at any rate.

"Hello, Trainer!" A freaky clown stood proudly before her.

"Uh, hi…Clown…" Leaf wondered why on earth this clown had chosen to talk to her of all people. It was just her luck.

"Today is a Merry Day!"

"Oh, is it?" Leaf wanted to just walk away.

"Yes, today the Pokétch Company is giving out free Pokétches!"

"Uh, what's a pokétch?" Leaf asked.

"A pokétch is a wonderful device that can do splendid things!"

"Uh, whatever, okay? I've got things to do," Leaf started to walk away, unimpressed by this clown's vague explanation.

"No, wait, if you find all three clowns and answer their questions correctly, you can get a free pokétch!" the clown said starting to follow her.

"No, I don't want one. Now leave me alone!" Leaf started to run.

"Waaaait!" the clown screamed after her as he ran as well, trying his best to keep up with her. But, he couldn't because he was wearing clown shoes. Leaf ran faster, wanting to put as much distance between her and that maniac clown as possible.

By the time Leaf reached the Pokémon Center on the other side of the city, she was breathless and exhausted. At least that clown was far from sight. After she caught her breath, Leaf decided to eat dinner and stop here for the night. She probably wouldn't make it to the next town before nightfall, and she didn't like traveling at night. At least the city was big enough to hide her from the crazy clown.

The next morning, Leaf set off for Sandgem Town. She read on the map that Professor Rowan's lab was located here. As she walked along the path, she noticed several cute little birds in the grass. Leaf whipped out her Pokédex to find out more.

"Starly… the….brrp…frzzz….rrrmph…zzzmph…" the Pokédex crackled.

"Oh, no! I completely forgot that my Pokédex is broken!" Leaf cried aloud, startling all the birds, "No! Come back!" Leaf cried after them. Of course, they weren't listening.

"Man, I should've asked Professor Rowan to fix it when I saw him yesterday!" Leaf said angrily.

"Hey, lady, who're you talkin' to?" someone asked.

"What? What is it?" Leaf turned around and saw a young novice trainer standing there, "Who're you?"

"I'm a trainer, and I want to battle!" the boy piped up.

"Not now, kid; I've got other things to do," Leaf groaned, "Now, do you know where Sandgem Town is?"

"It's right over there, stupid," the boy said and pointed.

"Gee, thanks a lot," Leaf said somewhat sarcastically.

"Whatever! At least I don't talk to myself!"

"Go away, kid!"

"Nyah! Crazy old lady!" the kid stuck out his tongue and made a face at her before running away.

Leaf fumed quietly as she walked the rest of the way to Sandgem Town. She should have creamed that brat when she had the chance. Oh well, maybe she could find an assistant at Rowan's lab that could fix her Pokédex.

Leaf walked through the sleepy town of Sandgem to Rowan's lab. It didn't take her long to find it either. She walked up to the door and knocked. No one answered for a long time. Leaf began to get irritated.

"Hello there, miss, how are you today?" Leaf turned and saw an older gentleman walk by.

"Hi, do you happen to know if anybody's at this lab now?" Leaf asked.

"Nope," the man answered, "The prof and all of his assistants left a few days ago. They won't be back for several days. I know because both my son and my grandson are his assistants."

"That's nice," Leaf nodded, "And thanks for your help," Leaf turned to leave.

"No problem," the man smiled.

So, Leaf started off for Lake Verity. She began to wonder vaguely whether she would ever get her Pokédex fixed. Her first time in an entirely new region, and here her Pokédex was broken. Oh well, at least it could still tell her the names of Pokémon; that was all she really needed to know anyway.

Leaf wandered through the forest east of Sandgem for quite a while. She decided to follow the established path because she knew she'd just get lost if she deviated from it. Suddenly, she heard scuffling in the woods nearby, and she froze, wondering what would make such a noise. Then…

"OUCH!" a young boy slammed onto the ground before her, and it looked like he had just smashed his knee, "Ow! Ow! Ow!" the boy cried as he thrashed around, cradling his knee.

"Are you… okay?" Leaf asked, slightly stunned by the situation.

The boy abruptly stood up, "Yes, I'm fine. I didn't just trip and fall, if that's what you were wondering…" he winced slightly and rubbed his knee.

"Okay… Well, what were you doing anyway?" Leaf wondered.

"I was just lookin' around for some Pokémon. I'm not old enough yet to get a new Pokémon from the lab, so I decided to just look around for my own Pokémon today," the boy explained.

Leaf smiled. That sounded like something she would have done at his age, "Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"I'm not afraid of any danger!" the young boy declared.

Leaf giggled, "You'd make a good Pokémon trainer. My name's Leaf, by the way. What's yours?"

"I'm Dan!" the boy told her, "Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"Mm-hmm," Leaf nodded, "And as a matter of fact, I'm on a pretty important mission right now…"

"That's so cool!" Dan said energetically.

"And… I could use the help of someone to find Lake Verity… Someone who knows the area quite well… You think you could help me out?"

"Oh, yeah! I know exactly where Lake Verity is! I play there all the time!" Dan cried.

Leaf smiled. Dan reminded her of her siblings when they were little. Some kids were pretty annoying, but most were sweet.

"Well then, Dan, would you like to help me find the legendary Mesprit?" Leaf asked.

"I'd love to, but… do you think we can really do that?" Dan looked doubtful.

"Of course we can! I'm a Pokémon trainer, and you're just about to become one! It'll be great practice for you to track down rare Pokémon!" Leaf raised her fist dramatically in an effort to get Dan pumped.

"Okay, let's do it," Dan grinned, "Follow me, I know a shortcut!"

The two took off for Lake Verity using Dan's shortcut. It didn't take them long to reach a deep, secluded part of the forest.

"Hey, look, somebody put a new sign here," Dan said as he walked up to inspect it.

"Hmm… 'Lake Verity, home of the Legendary Lake Pokémon, Mesprit'," Leaf read aloud, "'According to the legend, Mesprit is the Being of Emotion. It is thanks to this Pokémon that the people of this land are blessed with emotions.'"

"Who would put this sign here?" Dan asked.

"Who put up the sign farther up the road?" Leaf shrugged, "I guess it just happens."

"Well, let's go, it's not much farther to the Lake," Dan urged.

The two walked the rest of the way to the Lake. Leaf was astonished when she saw it, "It's so pure," she breathed.

"Yup, you can see all the Magikarp swimmin' around," Dan said as he crouched down to peer at the water closely. Leaf did the same, and was completely astounded by the sheer beauty of the area.

Dan stood and pointed at a tiny island in the center of the Lake, "I think Mesprit lives in the cavern on that island. I've always wanted to go there, but you need a Pokémon that can surf…"

"I have one," Leaf grinned as she let out Vegeta.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta cried as he landed in the water.

"Wow, you have a Blastoise!" Dan exclaimed.

"Yup, Blastoise was the very first Pokémon I ever trained," Leaf told him, "He can help us reach that island."

Leaf hopped onto her Pokémon and waited for Dan to do the same. He looked a little hesitant, so she held out her hand for him to take, "You ready?"

"Yeah, but I've never rode a Pokémon before," Dan replied.

"That's okay. There's nothing to it, really. Just hang on."

Dan took Leaf's hand and hopped onto Vegeta behind her.

"Alright, Vegeta! Think you can take us to that island over there?"

"Blastoise!" Vegeta cried affirmatively and headed to the mysterious island.

Notes: I initially made Leaf's Pokédex break because I couldn't remember what type of Pokémon Bronzor was. All I could think of was: Bronzor, the Mirror Pokémon, and that is definitely not right.

Just thought I'd throw that out there in case anyone was interested in knowing…


	11. Chapter 11: Meet Mesprit

Vegeta approached the island, and the two hopped off of him and thanked him for his help. Leaf recalled him and turned to face the seemingly tiny cavern before them.

"I can hardly believe that I'm actually here," Dan said as he gazed the entrance.

"Let's go inside," Leaf said quietly and led the way.

The two walked inside slowly. Leaf gasped when she entered. The inside of the small cavern was remarkably larger than she had expected. There was a large but shallow puddle in the center of the room, and it appeared to be shaped into some sort of symbol that Leaf didn't recognize.

"This place is huge…!" Dan said.

"Mesprit!" a sweet voice called out. In a sudden flash of light, Mesprit appeared before them in the center of the room!

"Mesprit!" Leaf cried and clasped her hands over her heart. Professor Rowan was right! She did find Mesprit after all! And it was the most adorable Pokémon ever!

"Mesprit!" Mesprit giggled. She danced and floated around to show off a little.

"It's so cute!" Leaf exclaimed. Then she looked serious as she pulled out a pokéball, "I'm going to catch it!"

Dan could only gape. Mesprit giggled again and flew off out of the cavern.

"No, Mesprit! Wait!" Leaf cried helplessly. She and Dan ran out of the cavern after Mesprit. But, Mesprit was already long gone.

"Blast it!" Leaf cried.

"At least we got to see it," Dan pointed out, trying to be optimistic.

"You're right. However fleeting it was, it sure was amazing…" Leaf trailed off as she gazed at the sky.

"I'm hungry," Dan complained.

"Alright, I guess we should be getting back to Sandgem then," Leaf said, looking slightly annoyed. Well, that was over. She'd have a lot to write to Rowan at least. But she had silently hoped in her heart that she'd catch at least one of these Pokémon she was assigned to study. What better way to study a Pokémon than to take it along with you and train it yourself?

Leaf sighed quietly and went back with Dan to Sandgem. She walked with him all the way to his house before saying good-bye. It hurt a little to say good-bye because he had reminded her of her siblings, all of which were younger than her.

Nevertheless, Leaf found a place to eat lunch and then made her way to the Pokémon Center to rest for a while. As she sat at an empty table alone, she decided to pull out her laptop and see whether anyone was available to web chat with her.

"Hi Leaf!" The familiar face of her oldest younger sister appeared on the screen before her.

"Hey, Willow. It's good to see you," Leaf managed a smile.

"Something wrong?" Willow asked.

"Naw, not much. I just let a legendary Pokémon slip between my fingers."

"Aw, that's too bad... Hey! I know what'll cheer you up!" Willow grinned as she extended her index finger, "I just got back from training your sweet little Goten!"

"Pidgeotto!" a familiar bird Pokémon poked his head into view.

"Hey there, Goten!" Leaf grinned at her former Pokémon.

"Do you have Popuri in your party with you?" Willow asked.

"You bet," Leaf grinned as she dug around in her bag for her Swablu's pokéball.

"Here she is," Leaf smiled as she released Popuri the Swablu.

"Swablu!" Popuri chirped happily when she saw the face of her former trainer on the screen.

"Aw, hi!" Willow smiled when she saw her old Popuri, "Hey, you ought to come to Hoenn sometime, Leaf; it's great here. You'd love all the rare Pokémon."

"I can't. I'm in Sinnoh at the moment," Leaf explained with a smile.

"WHAT! You never told me!"

"Well, it was pretty short notice; Professor Oak wanted me to do some research for a professor named Rowan that works in this area. Now, I'm on a mission to study some rare Pokémon."

"You HAVE to tell me all about it!"

Leaf spent a long time recounting everything she'd done in Sinnoh so far. She even told Willow about Riley and the Pokémon egg he gave her.

"Wow… I haven't been up to anything nearly as fun…" Willow sighed.

"Just wait, I bet something crazy'll happen any day now," Leaf joked.

"Well, I better get going. It was great chatting with you again, Leaf."

"Same here. Talk to ya soon."

"Bye."

Leaf looked at her contacts. No one she knew was online except for Professor Oak. She didn't really want to talk to him, and she was certain that he was busy anyway. Leaf sighed and packed up to leave; she might as well head back to Jubilife and get ready to look for Azelf next.

Leaf pulled out her map and studied it carefully. Yes, she certainly did want to find Azelf first. Uxie was way up north even beyond the huge mountain range. Certainly not the most fun journey to look forward to… Leaf shoved the map back into her bag and gazed at her little egg. Traveling in the mountains with a little baby along for the ride didn't seem like the best of ideas either.

Leaf left the Pokémon Center, her mind made up about her next destination. It didn't take her long to get back to Jubilife City. When she did, she noticed a large group of people all gathered together. She walked over to see what all the fuss was about.

"Now, Pokétches are very splendid devices! Watch this as I demonstrate!" a clown was saying. Then he caught sight of Leaf, "Hey! You're that girl who blew off a very special clown on a very special day!"

"Oh, no…" Leaf began to back away, but started to run away when she realized the clown was going to chase her around just like last time.

"Get back here! You must listen to the greatness of the Pokétch!"

"I don't want one of your stupid pokétches!" Leaf ran out of the city and didn't stop until the clown was well out of sight. And that didn't happen until she reached the next city, whose name she didn't know. Leaf paused to catch her breath.

"Oh, my, you must have had quite an adventure!" a lady outside tending to her flowers commented as she looked at Leaf.

"Yeah… you have no idea…" Leaf replied. She didn't even want to think about clowns anymore.

"Welcome to Floaroma Town!" the lady said warmly and gestured to her town.

Leaf gasped. This place was… the most beautiful town she had EVER seen! "Wow, this place is so beautiful!" Leaf exclaimed as she clasped her hands over her heart.

"Thank you, this town is known for its flowers and wonderful scents. Pokémon from all over are attracted to this place for its lovely scents. You're a Pokémon trainer, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Leaf replied, still enchanted by all the beautiful flowers.

The lady giggled, "My name is Alice. I'll be happy to show you around if you want."

"Thanks, Alice; I'm Leaf. And I'd love to see your town!" Leaf shook her hand.

"Great! I'll show you our flower shop first!" Alice beamed.

As soon as they approached the center of town, a man ran into town looking stressed and breathless.

"Dad! Is something wrong? What happened?" Alice hurried over to him.

"Something's wrong at the Valley Windworks! Some strangely dressed crooks have taken over the place!" The man, now identified as Alice's father, said anxiously.

"Oh, no! That's terrible!" Alice cried.

"Maybe we should tell the police…" Leaf offered.

"There are no police in this town," Alice told her.

"Someone contact Officer Jenny in Jubilife City!" Alice's father cried.

"That'll take too long," Leaf shook her head, knowing full well how long it took for her to run here from Jubilife.

"What else can we do?" Alice asked.

"These crooks…" Leaf turned to Alice's father, "…were they Pokémon trainers?"

"Yes," Alice's dad nodded.

"Well then, I'll take them on myself," Leaf replied, her face set with determination.


	12. Chapter 12: The Valley Windworks

"You can't do that! Not all by yourself!" Alice looked terrified at the very idea.

"My Pokémon are strong, Alice. I've been training them for years. I wouldn't do anything reckless like this if I wasn't certain I can handle it," Leaf assured her.

Alice opened her mouth to protest, but her father spoke first, "I can tell by the look in your eyes that you're able to handle this," he nodded, "The Valley Windworks are straight ahead in that direction; you can't miss it. And good luck."

"Thanks," Leaf nodded once and headed off in that direction.

"Be careful, Leaf!" Alice cried out after her.

"I will. Don't worry; I'll be back soon," Leaf called and waved.

Leaf walked for a long time until she came across a field full of giant windmills. She figured that the Valley Windworks must have been built for harnessing the power generated from these windmills. Some common crook probably wouldn't be interested in stealing energy. Most went for money and valuables; what kind of crook would be after energy? Other than a computer hacker, Leaf couldn't really think of anyone else. Maybe she really was dealing with trainers way out of her league…

Suddenly, Leaf heard the sound of someone crying. As she drew closer, she noticed a little girl huddled against a windmill crying her eyes out. As much as it was necessary for her to find out what was going on at the Valley Windworks, she certainly couldn't ignore a crying little girl that appeared to be all alone.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Leaf asked as she walked up to the girl.

"My daddy… some bad people… they were… they were…. Wa… Waaaahhh!" the little girl couldn't even get a sentence out, she was so upset.

"Ssssh…" Leaf bent down and tried to soothe the little girl, "It's okay…"

"NO! It's NOT okay!" the girl rounded on her, "These bad people took my daddy away and won't let me see him!"

"… Your dad… does he work at the Valley Windworks?" Leaf realized.

"Yes," the little girl sniffed.

"Well, I'm on my way now to stop those crooks," Leaf told her, "I'll take you with me if you promise to stick close to me and do exactly what I tell you to do." Leaf figured that it would take too long to take the little girl back to Floaroma Town, and she wasn't comfortable with leaving her there alone.

"Popuri, come on out," Leaf let out her Swablu, "Popuri, I'm counting on you to take care of this little girl. If things get crazy in there, I want you to fly her out of there and get her someplace safe. Understand?"

Popuri nodded and hovered above the little girl protectively.

"You're a Pokémon trainer?" the little girl asked.

"Yes. My name's Leaf."

"I'm Amy…" Amy gazed up at Swablu, who gave her a friendly chirp. Amy smiled, "I sometimes see the little balloon Pokémon."

"Really?" Leaf had no idea what she was referring to.

"Yup, he usually gets blown away by the wind, so I don't see him that much."

"Okay; well, we better go now," Leaf led the way to the Valley Windworks. Once they got there, Leaf turned the doorknob and discovered that it was locked.

"Let me in!" Leaf screamed and pounded furiously on the door. She didn't come this far just to be stopped by a blasted locked door.

"What's the password?" a voice sneered.

"The password is: OPEN THE BLASTED DOOR NOW OR ELSE!"

"Or else what?" the voice teased.

"Or else I'll break it down!" Leaf barked.

"Heh, like to see ya try…"

"Vegeta!" Leaf let out her Blastoise and he sounded his signature battle cry, "Blast down that door using Hydro Cannon!"

Leaf heard whoever was taunting her stammer out some choice words. Her Blastoise's attack decimated the door's hinges, and Blastoise gave the door a good shove by slamming against it with his side. Leaf charged into the building and caught a glimpse of the idiot's back as he fled to another room.

"Get back here, coward!" Leaf cried, but then she realized that she was standing on the door, so no one inside had anywhere to run.

"C'mon," Leaf urged Amy and her Pokémon, "that guy at the door must've gone in further for back-up." Amy and Popuri hurried inside, but Blastoise didn't move.

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Leaf questioned. Vegeta walked closer to the door frame, and it became apparent that he was unable to fit in the door. He was just too wide and big.

"Oh, here," Leaf recalled Vegeta and re-released him inside the building.

"There, that works," Leaf grinned. The two girls and the Pokémon walked deeper into the Valley Windworks until they came to a room with many machines and computers… and galactic grunts.

"Stand aside," a female voice said lazily. The grunts moved aside, and their leader stood before Leaf and the others with a slight smirk on her face.

"Who're you?" the woman asked Leaf. She ran a hand through her strange purple hair.

"That doesn't matter. But, I'm here to free the Valley Windworks from freaks like you!" Leaf declared. She wasn't about to reveal her name to anyone as shady as these weirdoes.

The woman laughed before she spoke again, "I'm Jupiter. I'm only trying to be kind, and here you call me and my men 'freaks.' How very rude of you."

All the grunts nearby widened their stances and glowered at Leaf. Maybe… she really had bit off more than she could chew… but she wouldn't let them know that.

"Alright…" Leaf thought quickly, "I challenge you to a battle. If I win, you must leave the Valley Windworks with all of your men and never come back…"

"And if I win…" A devilish smirk curled onto Jupiter's lips, "I receive your Blastoise."

"Why do you want my Blastoise?" Leaf looked astounded.

"A Blastoise that knows the legendary move Hydro Cannon would make an excellent addition to my team," Jupiter smirked, "You see, I can't be bothered to capture and train my own Pokémon. I make it my business to acquire powerful Pokémon right off the hands of others. Other weak trainers… much like you."

Leaf thought quickly. Jupiter was underestimating her strength. She merely believed that she just needed to take down Blastoise to win. And Leaf would let her think that for as long as possible. She wanted Jupiter to agree to this fight. That way, she could get these grunts to clear out without having to battle every single one of them. Truthfully, she wasn't certain that she could take on all of these grunts if they decided to come at her all at once.

Leaf looked at Blastoise. She hated to do this to him, to put him at risk like this, but she had no other choice. Vegeta nodded at her slowly. He was confident that they would win this battle for the Valley Windworks.

"Alright; are we agreed? How about a two on two battle?" Leaf asked.

"Certainly, I have nothing to lose!" Jupiter's voice rose like a crescendo as she let out her first Pokémon.

"Get in there, Blastoise," Leaf nodded to him.

"Skuntank!" a particularly ugly Pokémon stood before them for battle.

"Ew, who would want a skunk Pokémon?" Leaf wrinkled her nose, anticipating the stench.

"Use Toxic!" A foul purple mist shrouded about Skuntank, and the filthy Pokémon sent its foul mist at Vegeta. Vegeta grimaced as the poison sank in. Not unlike her battle on Iron Island, Leaf tossed a Lava Cookie for her Pokémon to consume.

"Just keep 'em coming!" Leaf goaded, "I've got plenty more!"

Jupiter's narrowed, "Use Hyper Beam!"

Leaf grinned, "Vegeta! Skull Bash now!" Just as Skuntank's blast was shot, Vegeta hid himself in his shell, easily halving the damage taken. And now, Skuntank would be unable to battle until it recharged. Vegeta's shell slammed into the vulnerable Skuntank and caused considerable damage.

"Count yourself lucky," Jupiter sneered, "Now use Iron Tail!" Skuntank's ugly tail hardened and slammed into Vegeta, causing him to wince in pain.

"Whatever! Vegeta! End this pathetic battle with Hydro Pump!" Leaf cried.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta cried as he delivered the final blow. Skuntank collapsed to the ground and fainted.

"You were lucky that time," Jupiter told her as she recalled her stinky Skuntank, "But now your luck just ran out! Come out, Tangrowth!"

"Tangrowth?" Leaf frowned as she looked at the new Pokémon that she wouldn't be able to learn about from the stupid Pokédex.

"Let's see how well you handle a grass type!" Jupiter sneered.

Leaf considered choosing Flareon briefly, but decided she didn't really need to. Jupiter was a pretty terrible battler, so Leaf figured she had nothing to worry about yet anyway.

"It doesn't really matter what type you choose; you'll never beat us, right Vegeta?" Leaf grinned.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta agreed and extended his arms like in his battle pose.

"Tangrowth! Use Ingrain!" Tangrowth planted itself to the ground and spread its roots.

"Ingrain? What kind of move is that?" Leaf looked confused. It looked pretty stupid to her. Why would someone want to root their Pokémon to the ground anyway?

Jupiter laughed, "Whenever Tangrowth uses Ingrain, he gathers nutrients from the earth to heal himself!"

'Oh, great, it can heal itself?' Leaf groaned inwardly. Most grass types also knew other moves like Mega Drain that can be used for recovering even more health. This stupid Pokémon was like a healing machine! Vegeta's Skull Bash didn't have enough power to bring a grass type that perpetually heals itself to its knees. She'd have to use Flareon if she wanted the battle to end anytime soon and in her favor.

"Sorry, Vegeta, but I'm going to have to make a switch here," Leaf pulled out another Pokéball and recalled Vegeta.

"Flareon!" Blaze cried as she appeared on the battlefield.

"Hmm, switching to a fire type? No matter, I'll just take that one down first!" Jupiter grinned evilly, "Use Vine Whip!" The attack hit, but it wasn't very effective.

"Blaze! Nullify the effects of Ingrain with your Will-o-Wisp!"

The attack worked and Tangrowth was burned. The regenerative effects of Ingrain were offset by the painful burn. Too bad even the leader Jupiter was too lazy to carry around Lava Cookies.

"Rrragh! You ingrate! I've had enough of you! Tangrowth, use Knock Off!"

Tangrowth's long arm smashed Blaze hard. It caused a considerable amount of damage, but it wasn't enough to slow down Blaze.

"Okay, Blaze; try Fire Blast!" Leaf called out. She wasn't sure if Tangrowth was weak enough to faint from this single attack, but she really wanted to put Jupiter on her toes.

Blaze's most devastating attack was finally unleashed. Tangrowth wanted to run away, but unfortunately for him, he was still rooted to the ground.

"No! You can't! There's no way a mere child can defeat me!" Jupiter looked shocked for the first time.

"I'm no child," Leaf told her, "Finish this with one last Flamethrower!"

The flames from Blaze's mouth hit Tangrowth, and it fainted on the spot.

"Hah! Take that!" Leaf grinned at Jupiter.

Jupiter recalled Tangrowth and scowled darkly at Leaf, "Mark my words, this isn't the last you've seen of Team Galactic! But if you know what's good for you, you'll stay OUT of our plans from here on out!"

Leaf gazed at Jupiter, taking in her words. What was Team Galactic after? First she heard rumors of stolen meteorites. Next, she encounters them on Iron Island hoping to excavate something, and now they were after the energy in the Valley Windworks. How did all this come together, and what was to come in the future?

"Don't think that you've won this battle, not even for a second. I was already planning to leave, whether you won or not. We have what we need now, and it's time to retreat. MEN!" Jupiter looked around at all the grunts and they stood at attention, "Initiate retreat at once!"

"Sir!" All of the galactic grunts sent out their Pokéballs. Several Golbat appeared before them and used their Smokescreen Attack.

"Amy!" Leaf cried and hugged the terrified girl in her arms. Blaze stood defensively in front of the two, and Popuri landed on Leaf, prepared to attack if anything came too close.

But they were not attacked. When the smoke lifted, it was only Amy's father who remained.

"Amy!" he cried and hurried to his daughter. The two embraced, happy to finally be together again.

"Thank you, Trainer," Amy's father said to Leaf, "Thanks to you, the Valley Windworks is safe again. And, I can never thank you enough for taking care of my daughter and bringing her back to me safely."

"It's nothing; I was happy to help," Leaf smiled, "But, for the future, I'd look into hiring some security or something; it's not safe here with the nearest police force so far away."

"There was a security team of Machoke, but they were all defeated. They were outnumbered," Amy's father said sadly.

"Where are they now?" Leaf asked.

"I don't know…"

"Those creeps must have taken them," Leaf scowled as she thought of the poor Pokémon.

"You took the right strategy though," Amy's father smiled at her, "Goading the leader into having a match with you alone like that… it was amazing."

"Thanks. Anyway, I'm glad that you two are safe," Leaf nodded slowly, but she wished she could have done more.

"Thanks, Leaf! Maybe you can come again to see the balloon Pokémon!" Amy smiled.

"Maybe," Leaf grinned.


	13. Chapter 13: Oreburgh Mine

"Leaf! You're back!" Alice cried as soon as she saw Leaf approach.

"The crooks are gone now, and the Valley Windworks is safe," Leaf told Alice and her father. She was tired and her stomach kept going guu.

"You did it, Leaf!" Alice exclaimed, "I was so worried about you! But you really pulled though!"

"I knew you could do it," Alice's father grinned, "a determined Pokémon trainer can do anything he or she puts their mind to."

"How about you stay for dinner?" Alice smiled.

"Really?" Leaf looked earnest.

"You bet," Alice's father agreed, "You've earned it. It's the least we can do to thank you."

"Thanks so much!" Leaf grinned.

Meanwhile, whilst Leaf was happily eating with new friends, Jupiter returned to Galactic Headquarters to report to her boss.

"Master Cyrus, I'm happy to report my mission was a success regardless of a small, minor hitch."

Cyrus' eyebrow twitched slightly with interest, "What hitch?"

"Well," Jupiter looked irritated at having to explain, "There was a female Pokémon Trainer that gave me some trouble."

"How so?"

"She defeated my Skuntank and Tangrowth in battle. But, it didn't matter much. She was too late; I had already transferred all of the energy that we needed. My men and I were able to make a clean getaway without any trouble."

"Hmm… interesting."

"It's hardly of any concern to us, Master Cyrus," Mars sneered, "We all know Jupiter is the weakest of the Commanders."

Jupiter growled at her and opened her mouth to argue.

"Enough!" Cyrus silenced the room, "There is no call to become fed up by petty human emotions. We must rid ourselves of them."

"Yes sir," Mars and Jupiter said calmly.

"What is our next order of business?" Saturn asked.

"As soon as Mars completes her mission on Iron Island, it will be time to initiate Phase 2," Cyrus said quietly, "In the meantime, I will be sending a small team to gather information on our little Pokémon Researcher."

"Hmm? Who is that?" Mars looked confused. She hadn't been briefed on the situation.

"One of our sources in Canalave informed us of a young researcher hoping to gather information on the Legendary Lake Pokémon," Cyrus explained, "Of course, since these Pokémon are vital to the success of our plans, we want to know everything she does."

"Hmmph, alright; sounds good to me," Mars agreed.

"A Pokémon researcher should hardly prove to be a handful for a few of our most cunning grunts, don't you think?" Cyrus asked.

"Of course not," Saturn agreed.

The next day…

"Ah!" Leaf chirped as she stretched her arms high above her, "Another beautiful day in Floaroma Town!"

"You ready for your tour?" Alice asked.

"I'd love one, but…" Leaf looked thoughtful, "I really need to hit the road again."

"Okay, I understand. Where are you headed, by the way?"

"Well, my ultimate destination is Veilstone City," Leaf explained, "But, I'll be lucky if I make it to Oreburgh by nightfall."

"If you're headed to Oreburgh, then I have the perfect thing for you," Alice smiled.

"What is it?" Leaf looked curious.

"Just follow me," Alice smiled.

The two girls walked to a building that Leaf hadn't noticed before.

"Here, you can borrow a bike to ride to Oreburgh," Alice explained, "They have a similar building in Oreburgh that houses bikes that people use to come here."

"Wow, so I can use one of these bikes and just drop it off in Oreburgh?" Leaf asked.

"Yes, that's right," Alice grinned.

"Wow, that's pretty cool; I could definitely use a bike right about now."

"It will definitely make things faster," Alice agreed.

"Well, thanks for everything, Alice. It was great meeting with you," Leaf smiled at her as she got on a decent sized bike.

"Likewise. And I hope we meet again soon. Next time I'll be sure to give you a proper tour," Alice waved.

"Looking forward to it! Bye!"

"Bye, Leaf!"

The trip back to Jubilife was ten times easier and faster on a bike. And plus, she didn't have a crazed clown chasing her this time either. Once Leaf reached Jubilife, she noticed a group of clowns talking to each other.

"Hey! It's her again!" One of the clowns cried out.

"Hah! Eat my dust!" Leaf laughed and sped off. The clowns might have given chase, but Leaf didn't bother to turn around and check. She knew they'd never keep up with her bike.

It didn't take Leaf long to reach Oreburgh Gate, which actually turned out to be relatively small cave rather than a checkpoint gate like Leaf had anticipated it would be. Soon after she left the gate, she noticed the building where she needed to return the bike. She dropped off the bike and wandered through Oreburgh Town in search of the Gym. She hoped to take it on quickly and move on to the next city.

"Here it is!" Leaf couldn't help but say aloud once she spotted the Gym. She tried the door, but it was locked.

"Yo! Champ in the making! You looking for Roark?" a man nearby asked. He appeared to be waiting there all along.

"Who's Roark?" Leaf asked.

The man chuckled quietly before answering, "He's the Gym Leader of course!"

"Oh, yeah, then I am lookin' for him. Where is he?"

"He should be in the mines… He's the main foreman you know… You mustn't be from around here?"

"Nope. Just arrived in Sinnoh a few days ago," Leaf answered.

The man laughed, "So that explains it! All the young girls your age from around here know all about Roark!"

Leaf looked confused, "What? ... Is he hot or something?"

"I wouldn't know that!" the man looked disgusted.

"Sorry, didn't really mean that as a question for you," Leaf looked sheepish. She really should stop thinking aloud like that…

"The mines are that way," the man pointed.

"Thanks," Leaf turned to leave.

"No problem," the man replied and adjusted his sunglasses on his nose.

Leaf wandered around the mines for a long time. A few workers seemed to stare at her oddly, most likely wondering what she was doing here. She decided to ignore them and concentrate on not crashing into any Machop, all of which were busily removing heavy chunks of coal and whatnot.

Leaf began to wonder how long it'd take her to find Roark. She had no idea what he even looked like. She wondered if it would be a bad idea to ask one of the workers. Leaf knew they were working hard, and she didn't want to be bothersome. However, she didn't really have the time to wander around for hours.

"Excuse me; do you know where I can find Roark?" Leaf asked a nearby worker. He looked young, and he had bright red hair.

"Roark?" the young man repeated as he turned to face her, "What do you want him for?" he asked as he readjusted his glasses to see her better.

"Well, somebody told me that he's the Gym Leader, and I want to challenge him so…" Leaf trailed off when she saw him smile.

"Well then, if you're looking to battle, then you've come to the right place!"

"No, I didn't really come here to fight you; I came to fight Roark!" Leaf frantically tried to re-explain since she thought he misunderstood her.

The young man laughed, "I am Roark!"

"You're… Roark?" Leaf was surprised. Somehow, she didn't expect Byron's son to be so… normal. Sure, he was a tall miner with spiky hair, but she expected him to wear a cape and whip a shovel around or something…

"C'mon, let's go to the Gym," Roark grinned.

"So, how many badges do you have so far?" Roark asked Leaf as they exited the mine.

"I only have one so far from Sinnoh," Leaf answered, "I got it in Canalave City."

"Oh?" Roark looked surprised, "So, you must have defeated my father."

"Yeah…" Leaf replied.

"I haven't come across a Trainer who has beaten my father before they've come to challenge me," Roark said to her, "This should be very interesting."

Roark dug around in his pockets as they approached the locked Gym door.

"Yo! Champ in the making! I see you've found Roark!" the man from before said loudly.

"Yup," Leaf looked at Roark who was still digging around in his pockets and looking sheepish.

"Did you lose your key again?" the man in sunglasses asked Roark.

"I might have…" Roark looked embarrassed.

"You dolt! How do you expect to be Gym Leader if you can't even open the door!"

Roark looked pretty ashamed, "I…"

"No! You nothing! Apologize to the challenger and search around your place for the keys!" the man said sternly.

"I'm so sorry, Leaf…" Roark still looked ashamed. It was clear that he was new to this, and small yet important details like keys probably slipped his mind.

"Forget the keys!" Leaf waved her arm as if to shrug it off, "Let's just battle now! Right here outside the Gym!"

"The referee's not here though…" Roark pointed out.

"He'll be our referee!" Leaf pointed at the sunglasses man.

"What?" the man looked shocked, "My sole duty is to provide trainers with battle hints before they take on a Gym Leader!"

"Come on, I'm sure you can do it," Leaf encouraged.

The sunglasses man looked to Roark for answers.

"Well, if that's what the challenger wants, I don't think I can refuse," Roark smiled.

"Fine, fine. I'll do it…" the sunglasses man gave in.

"Are you ready for this, Leaf?" Roark asked.

"You bet!" Leaf grinned.


	14. Chapter 14: Battle Roark

"Alright! Come out, Geodude!" Roark called out.

'A Geodude?' Leaf thought to herself. She'd battled them countless times before. She even had her own Golem, who was currently chilling out at Professor Oak's lab.

"Okay, Popuri! Come on out!" Leaf cried.

"The challenger is choosing a flying type Pokémon?" the new 'referee' looked taken back.

"Uh—huh."

"Okay… the battle between the Leader Roark and the challenger Leaf now begins!" Sunglasses man announced.

"Your move first," Roark reminded Leaf.

"Popuri! Use Sing!"

Leaf's Swablu sang an enchanting lullaby and Roark's Geodude fell asleep. Several passerby, people and Pokémon alike, stopped and watched the ensuing battle with interest.

"Great job! Now use Dragon Pulse!" Leaf cried.

Swablu opened her mouth and a thin, focused beam of purple energy shot out at Geodude, causing considerable damage. But, Geodude didn't wake up.

"Geodude! Wake up!" Roark cried.

"Use Dragon Pulse again!" Leaf ordered.

Swablu shot another attack at Geodude, but this time he woke up.

"Now, Geodude! Use Rock Throw!"

"Look out, Popuri!" Leaf cried. Geodude picked up nearby rocks and tossed them at her Swablu. Popuri dodged a few of them, but one hit her particularly hard.

"You can still win! Use Dragon Pulse one more time!" Leaf commanded. Popuri managed one last attack, and Geodude finally fainted. Popuri looked pretty tired, and Leaf didn't want to push her much farther. Rock types were a bird's weakness after all.

"You did well, Geodude," Roark said as he returned his Pokémon.

"You too, Popuri." Leaf echoed as she recalled Swablu.

"That was an excellent strategy, Leaf," Roark complimented.

"Thanks," Leaf blushed slightly.

"Now, it's your turn, Onix!"

Leaf considered a moment, but decided to choose Vegeta and end the battle quickly.

"Vegeta, start it off with Surf!" Vegeta's powerful wave caused a lot of damage, but it wasn't enough to slow down Roark's Pokémon completely.

"Whoa! That was tough! You nearly took out my Onix with one shot!" Roark looked impressed.

"Finish with Hydro Pump!" Leaf smirked.

"Not so fast! Onix, use your Screech!"

Onix's Screech attack was so loud that the sound waves knocked Vegeta's Hydro Pump attack backwards, rendering it useless.

"Waagh!" Leaf cried. Vegeta's water completely soaked her and Vegeta instead of Onix.

"Looks like someone took a page out of his father's book," Leaf remarked as she shook her hands to knock off some of the water.

"Oh, my father used the same attack on you before?" Roark grinned, "It's a little defensive move I learned from watching him battle."

"I noticed," Leaf said stiffly as she shook out her hat.

"Sorry I got you all wet," Roark finally noticed her displeasure.

"No problem," Leaf grumbled.

"Onix, now use Rock Slide!" Roark commanded.

"Wash those rocks away with Surf!" Leaf ordered. All of Onix's rocks were washed away by Vegeta's attack, and Onix fainted.

"Wow, your Blastoise is pretty strong," Roark commented as he recalled his Onix.

"Thanks."

"Things are looking pretty bad for me," Roark said as he smiled at the new pokéball in his hand, "It's a good thing that I always save the best for last."

"Go Rampardos!" Roark called out. A relatively large Pokémon with a large spiky head appeared before Roark for battle. Leaf had never seen one of these Pokémon before, but she was certain it was a rock type.

"Okay, Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump!" Leaf wanted her first attack to be a good one. That way, her Pokémon still had a good start even if Roark tried to pull off some kind of trick.

Rampardos winced at the powerful attack, but did not faint.

"Rampardos! Use Zen Headbutt!" Roark ordered.

Psychic energy swirled about Rampardos' head as it smashed into Vegeta with great force. Vegeta flinched from the attack.

"Vegeta!" Leaf cried.

"Okay, Rampardos, use Zen Headbutt again!"

"C'mon Vegeta!" Leaf urged her Pokémon, hoping that he wouldn't flinch again. And this time, he didn't.

"Great! End this now with your Hydro Cannon attack!" Leaf said somewhat dramatically. She didn't really need to use this move, but she couldn't resist showing off… just a little.

Rampardos fainted from the direct hit.

"The challenger Leaf wins the match!" Sunglasses man announced.

"Great job, Leaf," Roark said as he recalled his Rampardos.

"Thanks," Leaf smiled at Roark, "Oh, and thank you too, Mr. Sunglasses Man."

"What!" The sunglasses man looked irritated, "That's NOT my name!"

"Then what IS your name?" Leaf asked.

"Yeah… I've been wondering that too…" Roark admitted.

"My name is an absolute secret," the sunglasses man announced, "but I am known as the Legendary PokéStalker!"

"Legendary PokéStalker?" Leaf repeated in disbelief, "Are you kidding me?"

"Why would I kid about that?" the PokéStalker responded gruffly and walked away.

Leaf looked at Roark, and he just shrugged.

"So… are you… going to give me my badge now?" Leaf asked hesitantly.

"Oh, right, your badge…" Roark immediately felt all his pockets and then looked very embarrassed, "Uh… you see… all my badges are inside the building…"

"Aw, man…" Leaf groaned.

"I'm sorry. I'll go to my place now to get my keys," Roark told her.

"That's okay," Leaf felt sorry for Roark since he was so new to all this.

"You can come along if you want…" Roark offered.

"Sure," Leaf replied and hurried after him. She didn't really want to just stand around and wait for him to get back.

It didn't take long to reach Roark's house. Once they were inside, "Roark! Why are you back so early?" a woman's voice called out.

Leaf turned abruptly to see who it was, "Hey, Mom! I just had a Gym Battle, and I needed to…" Roark was cut off.

"You brought over a new girlfriend?" Roark's mother asked, looking at Leaf.

"No, Mom. That's the challenger. Please don't embarrass me like that," Roark rolled his eyes, "I'll be right back," he said to Leaf before he disappeared down a hallway.

"Uh, hi. I'm Leaf," Leaf said awkwardly, trying her best not to stare at Roark's mother. She seemed like such a normal lady; Leaf had no idea how she'd wind up being married to someone like Byron… She had to at least be INTERESTED in mining, right?

"Hello," she smiled cheerfully, "You must be a good trainer to defeat my son. He's gotten better than I am."

"You're a trainer too?" Leaf asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes… I was a pretty talented trainer when I was young. In fact, that's how I met my husband… in a particularly tough battle."

Leaf bit her lip to keep from laughing. It was pretty funny to imagine Byron and Roark's mom deciding to get married after they finished a crazy Pokémon battle.

_'Oh, Byron, it was so dreamy how you used Iron Defense SOOO many times…!' Roark's mom would say._

_ 'Oh, yes, that's because I LOVE DEFENSE! And I LOVE YOU too!' Byron would shout loudly like always and maybe even swing the shovel around for emphasis…._

"Leaf?" Roark's voice snapped Leaf back to reality, "I've got my keys," Roark held them up for her to see.

"Roark? Aren't you going to invite Leaf for lunch? I've just finished making plenty to eat, and I'm certain the two of you are hungry."

"Thanks, but I don't want to bother you, and I've really gotta go eat my badge now," Leaf said quickly. Then her stomach growled loudly, "I mean GET! I've gotta GET my badge!" Leaf frantically corrected herself. It was funny sometimes how slips of the tongue can reveal part of what you're really thinking…

Roark and his mother laughed. "…Oh, nonsense; you're no bother at all. It'd be a pleasure to have you over for lunch," Roark's mother smiled.

"Really? Well, thank you," Leaf bowed her head slightly.

"No trouble at all. Now, let's head to the kitchen then," Roark's mom led the way.

Roark's mother had prepared a delicious bowl of spaghetti. Leaf was delighted to find it tasted even better than it looked. And it looked good.

"So, Mom, did you know that Leaf's already defeated Dad?" Roark asked.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Roark's mom looked surprised.

"Yeah, it's the first time I've faced someone who has defeated Dad before challenging me."

"So, Leaf?" Roark's mom questioned, "Who was more of a challenge for you to defeat? My husband or my son?"

"Well…" Leaf decided it would be best to remain ambiguous here, "Every battle is challenging in its own way," she answered and took a long drink in order to not be obligated to say more.

"Good answer," Roark's mom smiled and grinned at Roark.

Eating with Roark and his mother was far more pleasant than she had expected. Before long, though, they finished their lunch. Shortly afterward, Leaf and Roark returned to the Gym, and Leaf finally received her badge.

"Yay! Thanks, Roark!" Leaf cried as she held her new badge. Cheesy Pose Time! Yeah, right… Not this time.

"You earned it," Roark grinned, "So, where are you headed next?"

"Hearthome City!" Leaf told him.

"You'll be facing Fantina next, then. Good luck!" Roark waved.

"Thanks. And thank your mom again for the delicious lunch!" Leaf called out before turning to leave.

After such a tasty lunch, Leaf was eager to hit the road again. She felt invigorated, and her walk through Mt. Coronet was relatively fast and easy thanks to her bright mood. She ran into a few trainers, but decided to avoid battle for the time being; she was too eager to get going and find Azelf already!

"Hey! Are you a Pokémon trainer?" a perky girl ran up to Leaf suddenly as soon as she left the mountainous terrain.

"Yeah, but I don't really want to battle right now…" Leaf sighed.

"I wasn't asking for a battle! I just wanted to remind you to visit the Berry Master!"

"Who's that?" Leaf asked her.

The girl suddenly seemed to lose all pep as she thought carefully for several seconds, "…Uh… I don't really know… But! He sure _looks_ important, and best of all he gives you a FREE BERRY!"

"A free berry?" Leaf repeated, "Where IS this guy?"

The girl giggled, "He's right in there, silly," she pointed at a nearby house.

"Thanks for the info," Leaf said to the girl before she ran off.

"No prob, Julie lives for this stuff!"

"Uh, okay…"

Leaf made her way to the house, and sure enough, an older gentleman gave her a free berry. She thanked him for it and promised to plant it one day. After all that, it was a short walk to Hearthome City.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Leaf breathed as she took in the sights around her. But she was feeling tired, so she decided to take a seat on a bench near one of the beautiful water fountains. She pulled out her laptop and decided to check who was available to chat.

"Hey, Blade!" Leaf exclaimed as her eldest younger brother's face appeared on the screen.

"Leaf! What have you been up to? You still got that Chatot I gave you?" Blade grinned.

"Yup… Even though he's a complete FREAK! What'd you give me that thing for anyway!"

"I told you; I found him abandoned near one of those global trading spots. He was drivin' me crazy, and you thought he was 'adorable' so I gave him to you!"

"Yeah, that was pretty dumb of me, huh?" Leaf groaned.

"You said you gave him a nickname?"

"Yup. His name is Blathers!"

"That's a suitable name…"

"Don't remind me… so what have you been up to?"

Blade shrugged, "Eh, you know, the usual… Not much really. Not since I talked to you last. You?"

Leaf told him all about her journey in Sinnoh and about her new friend Riley and the egg he gave her.

"He gave ya an egg? What's in it?" Blade asked.

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me," Leaf complained.

"Let me see it. I might be able to tell."

Leaf carefully pulled out her little egg and revealed it to her brother, "So… any ideas?"

"Hmm… Never seen anything like it…" Blade admitted.

"Put it next to your ear and listen. Maybe you can hear it," Blade suggested.

"Okay…" Leaf pressed her ear against the egg and listened carefully, "Hey! I can hear it!"

"What's it sound like?" Blade asked earnestly.

"Sounds like… a little duck!" Leaf exclaimed happily.

"A duck…?" Blade repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah!"

"Uh, whatever. Let me know when you finally figure it out," Blade scratched his head.

"Okay, bye then!" Leaf smiled.

"Bye."

Leaf wrapped her egg back up in her favorite scarf so it wouldn't get cold. Then she decided it'd be best to eat some dinner and go to bed before she did any major exploring of the city. She put away her laptop and decided to hurry up because her stomach was already going guu!


	15. Chapter 15: Hi Riolu

"Riley!" Leaf exclaimed.

"Hey, Leaf. Long time, no see," Riley smiled as he turned to face her.

"Hey, Lucario!" Leaf added since Lucario still hadn't turned around yet.

"What?" Lucario asked gruffly as if he was annoyed at her for bothering him.

"Aah! What! When did you learn to talk?" Leaf was completely taken aback.

"Duh, stupid, I've ALWAYS been able to talk! Who do you think I am, some kind of moron?" Lucario rolled his eyes.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I forgot," Leaf apologized quickly.

"How could you forget?" Riley looked hurt.

"I didn't forget! I'll never forget!" Leaf cried. But he was already fading away.

"What's going on?" Leaf cried frantically, "He's disappearing! Do something, Lucario!"

"What do you expect ME to do?" Lucario looked annoyed.

"…Use… Aura Sphere!" Leaf was grasping for straws, uncertain of what to say or do.

"Sure thing, weirdo," Lucario charged an Aura Sphere, but it fizzled out.

"Dude… my Aura… it totally sucks now…" Lucario looked at the ground.

"Don't beat yourself up over it…" Leaf walked over to comfort Lucario, but he was getting farther away with every step she took.

"Wait! Get back here!" Leaf cried.

"Why should I?" Lucario crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

"LEAF!" Riley's voice shouted in her ears, and Leaf awoke with a start. She was breathless as though she had just run a marathon. She closed her eyes to calm down.

'Man, what a stupid dream…' Leaf thought to herself as she recounted her dream. Shortly afterward, she fell back asleep and didn't wake up again until morning.

Leaf groggily poked at her breakfast. She didn't really feel all that hungry. She decided to pull out her laptop and see who was awake. Maybe talking with somebody might wake her up a little.

She practically jumped out of her seat when she saw that Riley was the only one online. She suddenly felt a bit nervous talking to him, especially after she had that crazy dream. Needless to say, she certainly wasn't groggy anymore.

"Hi, Leaf. Long time, no see," Riley smiled slightly as his face appeared onscreen.

"Hey, Riley…" Leaf couldn't help but wince slightly at his greeting, so similar to the one in her dream.

"How's it going?"

"Uh… great. I just beat Roark yesterday," Leaf managed a grin.

"That's great," Riley grinned.

"It's so strange, though; Roark is nothing like his father," Leaf said thoughtfully, "I mean, he didn't even mention defense once!"

Riley laughed. Leaf was somewhat surprised. Riley was pretty shy, and she didn't think it'd be that easy to make him laugh.

"Well, we aren't all like our parents…"

"I guess not," Leaf agreed, "Anyway, how're things on Iron Island?"

Riley's grin faded, "Not so good. More and more steel types are becoming restless. It's become a job just to protect innocent trainers and Pokémon from their wrath. I've been too busy to find out anything."

"That's too bad…" Leaf frowned, "But I know if anybody can do it, it's you."

"Thanks, Leaf," Riley's smile returned, "And how's your mission going? Find any rare Lake Pokémon yet?"

"Yeah… but I didn't really learn much. I ran into Mesprit, but she got away before I could do anything, let alone catch her…" Leaf said sadly.

"You're trying to catch them?" Riley's eyes widened.

"Yeah, of course. What better way to study a Pokémon then to take it along for the ride?" Leaf shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there," Riley agreed.

"Well, I guess I better get going," Leaf looked at her watch. She still wanted to take on the Gym before leaving town.

"Alright; I won't keep you then. Good-bye for now, Leaf. Good luck," Riley told her.

"Thanks, and I send it right back at cha," Leaf grinned, "Bye."

Riley smiled as he closed out of the program on the computer at the Canalave Library. He shut the computer down and sighed. Looking at the blank screen, he noticed someone peering at him duck quickly out of sight.

Riley frowned. Had someone been spying on him? He got up to confront him. Once he did, the person quickly hurried past him to the stairs.

"Hey! Hold on!" Riley called out to the person and rushed after him. Once the suspicious character noticed that Riley was following him, he broke out into a run.

"STOP!" Riley shouted after him and gave chase. He dashed outside the library and looked around wildly. He saw the man far off in the distance, running away. The strange figure's hat fell off, revealing a blue, bowl-shaped haircut. Riley instantly became worried. He had to warn Leaf.

Riley rushed back to the library, ignored the grouchy librarian, and turned on the nearest computer. He was disheartened when he found out that Leaf wasn't online anymore. Riley leaned heavily on the computer table as his thoughts raced through his head. What had that Galactic grunt heard? And why was he listening to his conversation with Leaf? What was he after?

Try as he might, Riley couldn't shake the sickening feeling that something terrible was in store for Leaf.

Meanwhile, Leaf was heading to the Hearthome City Gym, unaware that anything strange was going on back in Canalave. She stopped short, however, when she ran into Pokéstalker standing right beside the Gym's door.

"What are YOU doing here?" Leaf asked.

"I'm the Legendary Pokéstalker! You can't expect me to miss a gym battle, can you?"

"You missed my first battle…" Leaf reminded him.

"No, I didn't!" the Pokéstalker said quickly, "I was there! You just didn't see me!"

"Right… Well, do you know where Fantina is?" Leaf could already tell by the blackened windows that no one was there.

"Ah… the lovely Fantina…" Pokéstalker said fondly, "She should be down at the Contest building. She's not only an amazing battler; she's also a talented Coordinator!"

"Whatever…thanks," Leaf walked off to the Contest Hall and left Pokéstalker alone in his daydreams.

Once Leaf got into the building, it was completely deserted, but she could tell by the cheering from deeper within that a Contest was currently in progress.

"Excuse me, when do you suppose the contest in there will be finished?" Leaf asked the receptionist.

"Oh, that Contest just started," the kind lady told her, "It shouldn't be over with until late this afternoon."

"Thanks," Leaf had to try her hardest not to groan at this unpleasant news. She strolled around the lobby and decided to look at the pictures of the winning Pokémon from this week. Most of them looked pretty adorable, but none could compare with the awesome cuteness of her Blastoise! As Leaf gazed at the photos, she heard a small noise that seemed to come from her backpack. Was that…?

Leaf hurriedly pulled out her egg and unraveled the scarf around it. The egg was shaking, and large cracks were forming. Her egg was hatching! Suddenly, the top of the shell was broken off completely, and a blue and black little Pokémon was finally visible. He squeaked with delight to see her.

"Aaaaw…" Leaf's heart absolutely melted at the sight of her newest Pokémon, "You're so… ADORABLE!" Leaf hugged the little baby Pokémon, and he nuzzled against her warm embrace. The remaining egg shells fell to the floor, completely forgotten… fairly uncharacteristic of the self-proclaimed neat freak Leaf.

"Aw, I have to find out your name," Leaf held the baby Pokémon in one arm and used her free hand to fish out her lame excuse for a Pokédex.

"Riolu. The…frzz-Emanation… brrpmh-kémon… krzzhmph…" the Pokédex tried its best to identify the Pokémon.

"Riolu!" Leaf dropped the Pokédex, and it thankfully fell right into her backpack on the floor. Leaf held up Riolu high above her head and beamed at him, "You're the cutest little sweetie I've ever seen!" Riolu giggled.

Leaf hugged him one more time. Riolu looked at her with his big adorable eyes, and Leaf's heart melted all over again, "I HAVE to show you to one of my sisters!" Leaf exclaimed and put on her bag again. She hurried back to the Pokémon Center with her new Riolu.

Once there, Leaf dug around for her laptop and looked for someone to show off Riolu. She was surprised to see that Riley was still online. She definitely wanted to thank him for this little Riolu.

"Leaf!" Riley looked especially distracted as soon as he appeared onscreen.

"What's up?" Leaf looked concerned.

"Right after we finished talking this morning, I saw this shady character listening in. I followed him, and it turns out, he's from Team Galactic!"

"What? Why would they care about what we have to say to each other?" Leaf looked confused.

"I don't know, Leaf. But promise me that you'll be careful," Riley looked worried, "They're up to something; I can feel it."

"Right," Leaf swallowed. She remembered when she had informed Riley of her triumph at the Windworks in an email, and he had seemed more worried than glad… Was Riley just being paranoid or was he really onto something here?

Riolu carefully walked up to the screen (he had been sitting quietly on the table all along) and looked surprised to see a man in there!

Leaf giggled at Riolu's cuteness, and Riley smiled when he saw the little Pokémon, "I see your egg has hatched."

"Yup, that's why I contacted you," Leaf grinned, "Isn't he the sweetest?"

"I'm glad you like him," Riley smiled warmly.

"Aaa!" Riolu cried out with surprise as he touched the cold screen cautiously.

Leaf chuckled as she picked him up and sat him on her lap, "Thanks so much for giving him to me!" Leaf grinned happily.

"No problem," Riley nodded, "Well, sorry, but I've really got to get going now…"

"That's fine, see ya later!"

"Good-bye, and watch out for Team Galactic."

"I will, bye!"

"You hungry?" Leaf asked Riolu.

Riolu looked up at her and nodded. "Okay! Let's find something to eat!" Leaf put her laptop away, picked up her little Pokémon, and wandered through the city for something to eat.

Much later, Leaf returned to the Pokémon Center and found out that her sister, Willow, was online.

"Willow! I just got a new Pokémon!" Leaf exclaimed as soon as her sister's face was onscreen.

"Whoa, Leaf! What is it?" Willow looked taken aback.

"Look! It's Riolu!" Leaf picked Riolu up from off of the floor and held him in view. Riolu giggled and squeaked at the computer lady.

"Aw!" Willow clutched her hands to her heart not how unlike her sister Leaf would, "How adorable!"

"I know, right? He hatched from that egg Riley gave me!" Leaf smiled and hugged her Riolu again. Most Pokémon would probably get tired of all this hugging pretty fast, but Riolu was only a baby and saw this as natural maternal love.

"Aw, he looks like a cute, little Lucario!" Willow smiled, "I always thought Lucario were so ugly, but this pre-evolved form is SO cute! You better give him an Everstone before he evolves into a Lucario."

"Lucario aren't ugly," Leaf said defensively, "They're just as cute evolved as they are when they aren't!"

"No way; they're too mean looking to be cute," Willow argued.

"Just because they're tough doesn't mean they can't be cute!" Leaf raged.

"Well, I guess cuteness doesn't really matter much, anyway," Willow shrugged. It was clear this argument was going nowhere fast.

Riolu deftly leaped out of Leaf's arms and landed on the table. He strolled up to the screen and waved at Willow, giving out a little squeak in greeting.

"Hi, Riolu!" Willow smiled at the cute little Pokémon. Then suddenly, Riolu went up to the corner of the laptop and began chewing on the edge.

"Aaah! No, Riolu!" Leaf scolded as she tried to gently pull him away without wrecking the laptop in the process. She managed to do so and promptly set the little trouble-maker on her lap.

"…Maybe he's hungry…?" Willow suggested.

"No, I just fed him a while ago," Leaf sighed as she observed the pokédrool on the corner of her computer.

"Ah, well, anyway, if you DO plan on evolving Riolu someday…" Willow said ominously, "then you will succumb to the cruel fate of all Lucario trainers…"

"Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

"Well… I have a theory…" Willow continued thoughtfully, "Every trainer that has a Lucario winds up dressing like one!"

"What!" Leaf exclaimed.

"I mean it! I saw a picture of Maylene online, and she wears a blue and black shirt just like Lucario!"

"Who's Maylene?"

"She's the Veilstone City Gym Leader! You're IN Sinnoh, why don't you know anything about it!"

"Well, how do you know?"

"Because I read up on stuff like this, unlike SOME people…"

"Hey! I was, but they've made so many changes lately that I haven't been able to keep up on everything, you know!" Leaf exclaimed.

"So just because Maylene dresses in the same colors as a Lucario, you assume every Lucario trainer does?" Leaf continued before her sister could open her mouth again.

"Well…" Willow continued, "The Pokémon Champion, Cynthia, she even dresses like Lucario!"

"What! No she doesn't!" Leaf recalled the dark black clothing that the Champion wore.

"Yes! She's got hair clips that look like those dark… things… that have on the back of their heads!"

"You mean dreadlocks?" Leaf asked as she held up one of Riolu's dreads.

"Yeah… I guess you could call it that. Anyway, and I bet your boyfriend, Riley, dresses like Lucario too!" Willow teased.

"He's NOT my boyfriend!" Leaf exclaimed angrily.

"He does, though, doesn't he?"

"Yeah…" Leaf had to admit, "But I never will!"

"Yeah, right! You're on your way! Look at your shirt!"

Leaf glared at her attire. True, she was wearing a sleeveless blue top with a black one underneath, but that didn't prove anything! "Okay you've got me there, but I'm NEVER trading in my red skirt!"

"You don't have to," Willow smirked, "Lucario have red eyes!"

"Oh, shut up!" Leaf snapped at her sister.

Willow laughed, "Sorry, Leaf, but you just make it so easy!"

"Yeah, so funny…" Leaf growled sarcastically.

The two sisters continued to chat until Riolu began to squirm uncomfortably on Leaf's lap. Leaf figured it'd be best to end now since Riolu had waited patiently for a long time.

"Well, Willow, it was great talking to ya, but I better get going; I've gotta challenge the next gym!" Leaf said brightly.

"Okay; it was great catching up with you, bye!"

"Bye!"


	16. Chapter 16: Fantina

"Now, let's go find Fantina!" Leaf cried to her little Riolu. Riolu looked up at his trainer and grinned.

Leaf walked back to the Contest Hall with Riolu. She stopped short when she saw how empty the lobby still looked.

"How LONG do these things LAST!" Leaf exclaimed. Riolu hurried up to her and patted the top of her boot.

"What's wrong?" Leaf inquired, as she peered down at the little Pokémon.

"Chaaa!" Riolu chirped happily.

"Aw, how can I be mad at anything with you around?" Leaf mused as she picked him up and hugged him.

"Aw, how nice!" an older lady noticed Leaf and Riolu, "You should take your Pokémon for a walk in Amity Park. You can find good fashion accessories there, and maybe even some berries!"

"Amity Park? Where's that?" Leaf asked.

"There's two entrances, and they're both not too far north from here," the lady explained.

"Well…" Leaf looked at Riolu, "we're just standin' around doing nothing anyway, so I'll give it a shot."

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Leaf to find Amity Park. Once she got there, she waited in line with Riolu until she was finally in front of the receptionist lady.

"Which Pokémon are you going to take along?" the lady asked with a bored look on her face.

"Riolu!" Leaf declared happily and sat him on the counter in front of the lady. Riolu squeaked happily and held up a paw in greeting.

"Uh, sorry. That Pokémon doesn't qualify…" the lady shook her head, unclearly unimpressed by Riolu's inherent sweetness.

"What! What are you talking about?"

The woman lazily pointed at a sign nearby, "According to this sign here… only CUTE Pokémon are allowed in."

"What! Riolu's cute! How can you possibly look at him and say he's NOT cute!" Leaf couldn't believe this lady.

"Nope, sorry; not cute enough," the lady looked at Riolu with slight displeasure, "You could try a different Pokémon…" she suggested.

"No! I'm NOT going to pick a different one!" Leaf raged, "Because I already have the CUTEST Pokémon EVER in this ENTIRE WORLD right in FRONT OF YOU!"

"Look lady, either pick a new Pokémon or step out of line," the receptionist drawled.

"Fine," Leaf growled. She released each Pokémon she had with her only to be told that each one wasn't cute enough to enter.

"WHAT! Are you telling me that NONE of my Pokémon are cute enough?" Leaf roared.

"Sorry," the woman shrugged.

"This whole place is WHACK! All of my Pokémon are cuter than ANYTHING!" Leaf was infuriated.

"Whatever, lady," the receptionist shook her head.

"I'm BOYCOTTING this establishment!" Leaf declared angrily.

"This is a_ free_ service, and there's a nonprofit organization running this place," the lady looked at Leaf like she was an idiot.

"Well, it still sucks!" Leaf scowled and stormed out with little Riolu trailing behind. Leaf was still angry when they reached the Contest Hall. Leaf knew that every single one of her Pokémon was adorable; why couldn't anyone else see that? Leaf looked down at Riolu, who was staring up at her with his big adorable eyes, waiting for her to calm down.

"Let's just wait for Fantina," Leaf sighed and picked up Riolu so he could see better amongst the growing crowd.

It took what seemed like forever to Leaf for Fantina to finally emerge from the Contest Hall. She must've won because there appeared to be a large cluster of fans around her.

"There she is!" Leaf exclaimed excitedly, "It's a good thing I looked up her picture online, or I wouldn't even know it was her…" Leaf admitted sheepishly. Riolu giggled.

Leaf hurried over and tried to make her way through the crowd to talk to Fantina, "Fantina! Fantina!" Leaf cried, desperately trying to get her attention.

"Oui? What ees eet?" Fantina finally noticed Leaf.

"I want to challenge you for a Gym Badge!" Leaf managed to say before being crushed by a particularly fat man.

"Ah! A shallange!" Fantina looked amazed by the idea, "Mais oui! Vas-y!"

"Okay…" Leaf said weakly and slid out of the crowd as carefully as possible.

"Excusez-moi, mes adoring fans! Mais, I must leave tout de suite!" Fantina announced dramatically and broke off from the crowd to follow Leaf.

"Man, that was crazy," Leaf complained to Riolu, who looked fairly terrified by the whole ordeal.

"What's wrong?" Leaf asked when she noticed how scared her Riolu was. Riolu merely hid his face against her shoulder, "Oh, you hate tight spaces, huh?" Leaf guessed. Riolu nodded slightly without revealing his face.

"That's okay," Leaf said kindly, "We're not going to do anything like that again anytime soon," she reassured him as she petted his back.

"Ah, ma petite shallenger, dites- moi, what ees your name?" Fantina had finally caught up to them.

"Je m'appelle Leaf," Leaf rolled her eyes. Just because she was 5'2, everyone saw her as small and short…

"Ah! Vraiment? Tu parles français?" Fantina looked surprised.

"Oui, un peu," Leaf sighed slightly. Riolu peeked out from behind Leaf's shoulder and blinked at the two women, surprised by the sudden change in language.

"Ah! Quel petit Pokémon! Tellement mignon!" Fantina exclaimed happily when she saw Riolu.

"She thinks you're cute," Leaf whispered to Riolu so that he'd stop looking so confused.

"Ah, if it isn't the lovely Fantina herself!" Pokéstalker acted as though he was welcoming royalty.

Leaf groaned and rolled her eyes, but Fantina loved the attention, "Ah, zee Pokéstalker, n'est-ce pas?"

"Oui, oui!" The Pokéstalker said the only French he knew and bowed grandly. Fantina giggled.

Eventually, the lights in the Hearthome City Gym flashed onto their brightest capacity, and the battle between Leaf and Fantina was finally about to begin.

"Come out, Duskull, s'il vous plaît !" Fantina cried and let out her first Pokémon.

"I think it's time to pull out a wild card," Leaf said to herself and released her Chatot, Blathers.

"Aaaaaaaaa!" Chatot let out a bloodcurdling scream, not unlike one from a cheesy horror movie.

"Oh, my…!" Fantina looked surprised.

"Shut up!" Leaf shouted at her crazy Pokémon.

"Shut up!" Blathers imitated Leaf but in a much higher and more whiny tone.

"The battle between the Leader Fantina and the challenger Leaf will now commence!" the referee declared.

"Blathers, use your Steel Wing attack!" Leaf ordered. Blather's wing hardened, and he swung his wing hard at his opponent. Duskull took considerable damage.

"Duskull! Use 'eepnosees!" (hypnosis)

Duskull's eyes glowed, and it attempted to bring Chatot under its spell. Thankfully, the attack missed.

"Use Uproar!" Leaf commanded. Blathers shouted pretty much every phrase he knew as loudly as he could. There was no way any Pokémon could fall asleep at this rate.

"Mais non!" Fantina cried, "Use Confuse Ray maintenant!"

"Duskull!" Duskull shot out a purple ray that narrowly missed the still-screaming Chatot.

"Finish this with another Steel Wing attack!" Leaf shouted to be heard by her Pokémon. Blathers smacked Duskull again, and this time Duskull fainted.

"Mais, non! Mon petit Duskull!" Fantina lamented.

"Et puis, I shall use Mismagius!" Fantina danced as she sent out a new Pokémon that Leaf had never come across before. Leaf didn't bother with the Pokédex, though; it wasn't worth it.

"Use Uproar again!" Leaf ordered. Blathers' ruckus would last for several turns. And that meant Mismagius couldn't put any of her Pokémon to sleep, for a while at least. Almost all Ghost types knew hypnosis, and Leaf was certain Fantina would use it to its fullest potential.

"Now return!" Leaf had a feeling she would need Blathers at peak strength again later.

"Ah, recalling ton Pokémon so soon?" Fantina looked vaguely surprised.

"That's right! Come out, Blaze!" Leaf sent out her Flareon.

"Très bon! Mismagius! Now use Ominous Weend!'

Ominous wind can't be dodged easily, and Blaze took the attack head on, which caused considerable damage.

"Use your Will-o-Wisp!" Leaf cried.

"Use your Will-o-Weesp as well!"

Both Pokémon were burned, "Catch!" Leaf called as she tossed a Lava Cookie to her Pokémon who promptly caught it in her teeth.

"Ah! Eet ees good to always be prepared!" Fantina complimented.

Leaf shrugged, "It's the least I can do for my Pokémon."

"Eet's your turn, Mismagius! Use your Psybeam!" Fantina declared.

Mismagius shot a swirling beam straight at Flareon. Blaze was expecting the attack to stall a little in order for the attack to charge, but that wasn't the case…

"Look out, Blaze!" Leaf cried. But, it was too late. Blaze was hit by the attack, and it caused a strong amount of damage.

"Are you okay?" Leaf asked her Pokémon. Flareon stood up tall and nodded. "Good," Leaf smirked, "Now use Flamethrower!"

Blaze's attack grazed Mismagius' 'skirt' and caused only a minor amount of damage, not exactly what Leaf was hoping for. But, she was certain that a direct hit using Fire Blast would be enough to take down Mismagius.

"Ready, Mismagius? Use your 'eepnosees!"

"Watch it, Flareon!" Leaf warned. Fortunately for Leaf and Blaze, Mismagius' attack missed.

"End it with Fire Blast!" Leaf ordered. And Blaze's strongest attack was enough to win this round.

"Ah, non… ma chère Mismagius…" Fantina sighed sadly, "Ah, now eet ees time for Drifblim!"

Fantina released Drifblim, a giant balloon-like Pokémon. It actually looked remarkably similar to Fantina's dress. Again, the Pokédex seemed useless to Leaf. It wasn't worth the frustration to even think of the blasted thing.

"Blaze, return," Leaf figured her Flareon was probably a little tired, so she decided to switch things up, "Go Blathers!"

"Aaaaaaaaa!" Blathers screamed loudly as though he was about to be attacked by a monster.

"Mon Dieu!" Fantina cried and covered her ears.

"Uh… use Uproar?" Leaf didn't think her Chatot could possibly get any more loud and annoying. But of course, it did.

"Okay, come back!" Leaf shouted to be heard, "Great, now it's time for Swablu!"

"Swablu!" Popuri chirped.

"Drifblim! Use Ominous Weend!" Fantina cried.

Leaf grinned; she was counting on Drifblim using that move, "Popuri! Use Mirror Move!"

"Ah, non!" Fantina cried. Both Pokémon attacked using the same move, only Drifblim's damage was much higher thanks to the fact that it was weak against ghost type moves.

"How's that?" Leaf decided to try out one of Fantina's dance moves for herself. Riolu giggled and joined in on the fun.

"Drifblim! Use your Psychic attack!"

Popuri narrowly dodged the majority of the attack, which resulted in some minor damage.

"Okay, Popuri! Finish this with Dragon Pulse!" Leaf commanded. The attack hit, and Drifblim fainted.

"The challenger Leaf wins!" the referee declared.

"You did well… Drifblim…" Fantina recalled her Pokémon.

"You were great, Swablu," Leaf smiled at her Pokémon as it flew around her happily.

Later, Leaf was waiting for Fantina outside of the Gym. The Pokéstalker was going on and on about how wonderful Fantina was, but Leaf wasn't really listening.

"Did you learn a few things by watching the battle, Riolu?" Leaf asked. Riolu smiled a little and nodded at her.

"One day, you'll be as strong as all the rest of my Pokémon, and you'll compete in gym battles too. Are you looking forward to it?" Leaf bent slightly to see him better. Riolu stood in a battle stance, poised and ready to fight. Leaf giggled.

"Hey! I wasn't being funny!" Pokéstalker looked at Leaf with irritation. He assumed she was listening the entire time.

"Take it easy; I wasn't laughin' at you," Leaf stretched her arms behind her head as if bored with the entire situation.

"Leaf! I am 'appy to present you with zee badge de 'Eart'ome Ceetee!" Leave it to cruel fate for Fantina to be the Gym Leader of a town that she could hardly pronounce…

"Merci beaucoup, Fantina!" Leaf grinned and took her badge.

"Eet ees a pleasure. Et, good luck on zee rest of ta journée!" Fantina waved.

"Merci! Au revoir!" Leaf waved.


	17. Chapter 17: Meet Maylene

"Hmm… Let's see…" Leaf frowned as she stared at her map, trying her best to figure out where on earth she was.

Riolu sang quietly as he followed his trainer around. He was trying his hardest not to become distracted again. There were so many beautiful butterflies and things that caught the curious baby Riolu's attention. Sometimes his curiosity made him lose sight of his trainer. The last time Leaf realized that Riolu wasn't directly behind her, she almost lost it.

Now Leaf was careful to keep an eye on Riolu more often than not. But it was fairly difficult when she had no idea WHERE she was! She had to stare at the map for what seemed like hours just to figure out which direction to walk. Leaf could only hope she'd find Veilstone City soon…

"Ah, forget it! I'm taking a break!" Leaf suddenly threw the map into the air and sat down on the ground, "Things just aren't going well for me right now…" Leaf sighed. She shoved the map back in her bag and traded it for her music. She pulled on her earphones and laid down in the grass with her bag as an uncomfortable pillow.

Riolu stared at his trainer for a few moments before he decided that she must be taking a nap. He wasn't tired at all, so he figured he'd explore a little bit.

"Don't go far, Riolu," Leaf said sternly without opening her eyes. Riolu nodded even though Leaf didn't see.

Riolu noticed a small patch of flowers nearby and walked over to them, peering at them closely. Riolu stared at the little flowers, wide-eyed with wonder. The flowers were so pretty, and they seemed to smell good too! Riolu leaned in close and inhaled their pleasant aroma. Riolu squeaked with delight. These flowers really were amazing!

Meanwhile, the batteries in Leaf's music player ran dry. Leaf had finally felt herself begin to relax peacefully when she heard her favorite song, only to have the batteries give up right in the middle of it!

"Rrragh!" Leaf growled with annoyance when she realized that that was her last set of batteries. She snapped out of it when she felt Riolu's paw tap her shoulder.

"Shaaaa!" Riolu squeaked as he presented a tiny flower and held it out for Leaf to take.

"Aaww… you're giving me a flower?" Leaf's heart was about to melt. Riolu nodded proudly and gave it to her.

"Aw, this is so pretty! Where did you find it?" Leaf asked. Riolu pointed towards the little wild flower patch nearby. Leaf sniffed the flower and smiled.

"You're so cute, Riolu! Thanks so much," Leaf grinned.

Not much later, Leaf and Riolu resumed the walk to Veilstone, "Hey, what's that?" Leaf wondered aloud as she shielded her eyes from the sun. There was a tall tower just ahead. Leaf stared at her map.

"Oh!" Leaf exclaimed suddenly, causing her little Riolu to jump in surprise, "That's the Lost Tower! That means we're not far from Solaceon Town!" Leaf looked ecstatic, "And Solaceon Town is the closest town to Veilstone City, so that means we're on our way!" Leaf grinned.

Leaf and Riolu ran the rest of the way to town. The two stopped short when they entered the city, however.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me…" Leaf said to herself. Everyone here was dressed like a cowboy! Already, Leaf had received weird looks from passerby from being the only one who wasn't dressed the part.

"Let's just get out of here," Leaf said to Riolu. She wasn't particularly interested in spending the night here anyway. It was still fairly light, and she wanted to get going. She would camp out in the forest tonight. Leaf picked up Riolu and walked through town.

"Howdy, stranger," a young cowboy tipped his hat at her, "What brings you 'round these parts?"

"Just passing through," Leaf told him.

When Leaf finally left town, she was surprised to find the grass to be really tall. Leaf figured it wouldn't be such a good idea to set down Riolu yet since he probably wouldn't be able to see where he was going.

Leaf kept walking until sunset. She kept looking for a good place to stop for the night, but she was having trouble deciding. In the meantime, little Riolu had fallen asleep in her arms.

"A traveler? At this hour?" someone nearby said.

"Huh?" Leaf turned around to see a cowboy. Riolu opened his eyes sleepily.

"It's not too safe fer a young lass ta be travelin' alone in the dark…" the cowboy looked concerned.

"I'm fine," Leaf assured him, "I'm just lookin' for a spot to camp for the night."

"Mmmph," the man shook his head, "Not a good idea. Thar's Ursaring 'round these parts this time of year."

"What! Ursaring!" Leaf repeated with fear. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to hightail it back to Solaceon!

"Yep," the cowboy nodded, "Tell ya what. My wife an' I don't normally have visitors, but I'll let ya stay at my café fer the night."

"Really? Thank you so much," Leaf bowed slightly out of gratitude.

"No problem, just make sure ya buy lotsa our MooMoo Milk!"

"I'd be glad to," Leaf agreed.

Much later…

"Alrigh'. You can sleep in here," the cowboy's wife told Leaf as she opened the door to the small room.

"Thank you," Leaf said again. Riolu scrambled to the bed and nestled underneath the blankets.

The cowboy's wife left and shut the door behind her. Leaf set her bag on the floor and looked at Riolu. She assumed he'd want to get back into the pokéball for the night, but judging by how snuggled into bed he was, it didn't seem Riolu thought the same. Well, it didn't really matter much.

Leaf pulled off her topmost blue shirt and decided to remain in her regular clothes rather than change into pajamas. She climbed into bed beside Riolu trying her best not to wake him up in the process. Leaf stared at the ceiling thoughtfully before falling asleep. She wondered how things were going for Riley. Thoughts of Team Galactic also stewed in her mind. Who were they, and what were they truly after?

Leaf awoke the next morning to find Riolu snuggled up beside her, "Good morning," Leaf smiled and tickled her little Pokémon to wake him. Riolu woke up giggling.

Not long after, Leaf walked downstairs to the cowboy couple's café.

"Y'all ready ta buy some MooMoo Milk?" the wife asked Leaf.

"Sure," Leaf grinned and bought some breakfast while she was at it.

While she ate, Leaf noticed her Riolu was staring with adoration at the free glass of milk the wife had insisted that Leaf drink. Leaf would've felt bad to refuse the woman, but the truth was, she was lactose intolerant.

"Are you thirsty?" Leaf asked Riolu. Riolu looked away from the glass of milk and didn't answer.

"I can't exactly drink this, so I want you to have it," Leaf set the glass in front of Riolu.

Riolu squeaked with absolute delight. He immediately began to drink from the cup, a little too eagerly.

"Careful," Leaf warned. She was too late to prevent a spill, but from then on, Riolu was more careful. Leaf wiped up the spill before Riolu stepped in it.

After breakfast, Leaf thanked the cowboy couple again and headed off for Veilstone City. It didn't take Leaf long to get… completely lost.

"Aw, man, Riolu," Leaf wailed, "I'm never gonna find Veilstone City!"

Riolu was fairly used to this by now, and wasn't paying much attention to Leaf's complaining anymore. He was currently trying to climb the nearby fence. Once he did, he balanced along the top of it as he walked alongside Leaf. At least he was having fun.

"Arrrgh!" Leaf cried, "Okay, just focus… I can figure this out. It's just a map!" Leaf was trying to talk herself into reading the map better, but that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Suddenly, a blast of energy was sent flying above the fence. The blast exploded when it hit a giant oak tree. Riolu stopped in his tracks and cried out in fear.

Leaf gaped at the energy sphere in awe. Was that…?

Just then, another blast of energy was hurled at another helpless tree.

"That was Aura Sphere!" Leaf was certain of it now.

"Hey!" Leaf looked at Riolu excitedly, "Maybe there's a Lucario around here! I'm gonna catch it!"

"C'mon," Leaf said to Riolu and held out her arms for him to jump. Once he did, Leaf ran along the fence until she came to an opening where she could get to the other side.

Not too far away, a girl was sparring with a Lucario. Leaf could hardly believe her eyes. Who was seriously tough enough to take on Lucario?

"Wow, they're amazing…" Leaf breathed as she watched them.

Just as the fight was getting good… "Wait, Lucario! I need some water, okay?" the girl said.

Lucario growled somewhat angrily, but seemed to acquiesce.

The girl ran over to her bag and pulled out her water.

Leaf strolled over, "Man, you must be a great fighter to be able to take on Lucario like that!"

"Ah, well… I do what I can…" the girl said modestly, and then her eyes rested on Riolu, "Are you a Pokémon trainer?"

"Yeah, and I'm looking for Veilstone City…" Leaf admitted, "Do you happen to know where it is?"

"Of course," the girl smiled, "Are you, by any chance, hoping to challenge the Gym Leader?"

"Exactly!" Leaf said with determination. Suddenly, the girl's Lucario growled rather loudly, which startled Leaf. She glanced at him, and he had a creepy sort of grin on his face.

"Ugh, what's wrong with your Lucario…?" Leaf edged away, unable to shake the feeling that he wanted to eat her.

"Oh, Lucario is just eager to battle you, is all," the girl replied.

"…Okay… Oh! I get it now! You're Maylene, the Veilstone City Gym Leader!" Leaf realized.

Maylene giggled, "That's right."

"Wow, it's great to meet you. I'm Leaf, by the way," Leaf smiled.

"Well then, Leaf, what do you say I lead you to Veilstone City? We can have our battle as soon as we get there, if you'd like," Maylene suggested.

"That would be great!" Leaf said happily. Suddenly, Riolu leaped out of Leaf's arms and landed deftly on the ground before Lucario. Riolu walked up to Lucario and waved at him.

"How cute," Maylene smiled, "I can remember back when my Lucario was a Riolu…"

Lucario growled and folded his arms across his chest, apparently not keen on reminiscing on the times when he thought of himself as a weakling.

Riolu continued to chat with Lucario as the four walked to Veilstone City. Lucario would respond every once in a while whereas Riolu spoke a mile a minute. Leaf really had no idea what they were saying. She hadn't really had Riolu long enough to understand everything he said completely. She looked to Maylene for answers, but she merely shrugged.

"We're almost there," Maylene announced not too long afterward.

Leaf could see the city's limits, and from what she could tell, there appeared to be a galactic grunt up ahead harassing some kids. The grunt shouted something loudly, and the kids ran away.

"Looks like trouble ahead," Maylene said with anger in her voice. Lucario snarled. Riolu looked scared and hid behind Leaf.

Leaf stopped to pick up her Pokémon in her arms, "We'll be fine," she assured him.

"Hey!" the galactic grunt said to Leaf when they approached, "Hand over that Riolu now and you're free to go!"

Riolu squeaked in fear and hid his face. Leaf held Riolu tighter with one arm and reached for her pokéballs with the other.

"What did you just say?" Maylene challenged. Lucario stood defensively in front of Leaf and Riolu and snarled rather viciously at the villain.

The grunt balked at Lucario's might and figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to lay off on these people, "Er, never mind; go right ahead!"

Lucario kept a wary eye on the grunt as the two girls passed.

"Hey! I give up! Stop looking at me like that!" the grunt was freaking out, clearly intimidated.

"C'mon, Lucario!" Maylene called. Lucario ran to catch up with the others, and the grunt let out a sigh of relief.

"You have to keep an eye out for those freaks," Maylene said to Leaf once Lucario had caught up with them, "There're more of them popping up every day now it seems."

"Why do you suppose they're in Veilstone City?" Leaf asked.

"Well, this is where their Headquarters is rumored to be, but I only know for certain that their Warehouse is over there," Maylene pointed to the north.

"How come the police haven't raided it yet?" Leaf looked incredulous.

"Well, they have a talent for being crafty and sneaky; so far the police haven't been able to catch them at anything just yet. They're supposedly just a company trying to uncover new sources of energy."

Leaf scowled at the building with displeasure. Leave it to a group of thugs like Team Galactic to outsmart the police.

"We're here!" Maylene announced when they approached the Veilstone Gym. She dug around in her bag for the keys and unlocked the door. Apparently Maylene had a better memory than Roark.

It wasn't long before the stadium lights were on, and Leaf was standing on the battlefield before Maylene.

"Are you ready for this, Leaf?" Maylene looked ready to throw a few punches herself.

"Of course!" Leaf clenched her palms into fists. Even Riolu assumed a battle stance.

"Go, Meditite!" Maylene sent out her psychic and fighting type Pokémon.

"You're up first, Blathers!" Leaf hoped she wouldn't regret this.

"The battle between Leader Maylene of Veilstone City and Leaf of Cerulean City is about to begin!" the referee announced.

"MORTAL KOOOMBAT!" Blathers shouted.


	18. Chapter 18: Battle Maylene

"Okay… no fatalities or anything," Leaf said nervously to her Chatot. Blathers merely laughed manically. Leaf shook her head.

"Whenever you're ready," Maylene reminded Leaf.

"Right! Okay, Blathers, start off by using your Chatter!"

"Heytherebaby,niceweatherwe'rehavinghuh? So,how'sthewifeandkids? ? Rememberkids,don'ttrythisathome!" Blathers chatted a mile a minute, and it was driving poor Meditite insane.

"Meditite! Use your Confusion!" Maylene ordered.

Meditite waved her arms around in a mesmerizing way, and it didn't take Blathers long to fall under the spell.

"I don't understand! Where am I? Where's Guild Master Wigglytuff?" Chatot was walking like a drunken sailor and was shrieking nonsense.

"Blathers is confused? Somehow that doesn't come out as major surprise to me…" Leaf shrugged and recalled her Pokémon.

"Okay! It's your turn, Popuri!" Leaf called out her Swablu.

"Use Confusion again!" Maylene called out.

"Hang in there, Popuri!" Leaf gritted her teeth, hoping that her Swablu wouldn't become confused. She didn't want to keep switching out Pokémon over and over again. Or perhaps this was all Maylene's plan, to force Leaf into choosing the Pokémon she must use right at the beginning of battle.

Luckily for Leaf, Popuri wasn't confused, but she took a strong hit, "Use your Mirror Move!"

Popuri waved her wings around in a mesmerizing fashion exactly like Meditite.

"Use Detect!" Maylene smirked. Meditite was able to escape the attack unscathed.

"Use Sing!" Leaf commanded. Swablu sang her enchanting melody, and Meditite fell asleep.

"Oh, no! Meditite!" Maylene cried.

"Use your Fly attack!" Leaf ordered. Popuri flew up into the air and slammed into Meditite. Meditite probably wouldn't be able to withstand another flying type attack…

"Use Fly again!" Leaf urged.

"Meditite! Wake up!" Maylene called out.

"Medi…!" Meditite woke up. Popuri was soaring high above the stadium, well out of Meditite's reach. Then she came soaring back down, and her attack caused Meditite to faint.

"Well done, Popuri," Leaf smiled at her Pokémon.

"You should rest for now, Meditite," Maylene said as she recalled Meditite, "Now it's your turn, Machoke!"

"Use Sing!" Leaf commanded right away. However, the move missed its target.

"Focus Energy!" Maylene used this opening to increase Machoke's chances for a critical hit. But, Leaf wasn't too worried about it since her Swablu was a flying type.

"Mirror Move!" Leaf cried. Now Popuri's chances for a critical hit were also increased.

"Use Thunder Punch!" Maylene grinned.

"Use Fly, quickly!" Popuri quickly flew up out of reach.

"Don't worry, Machoke! That bird will need to come back down sometime, and when it does, you use your Thunder Punch!"

Swablu soared down to Machoke and slammed into him. But then, Machoke had his chance to hit Swablu with his electrifying punch.

Swablu collapsed to the ground and fainted. Leaf recalled her Pokémon and briefly considered which Pokémon she should choose next. She wasn't entirely bent on choosing her third Pokémon just yet. So, she decided to trust her Chatot.

"Go, Blathers!" Leaf cried.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…HAAAAAAA!" Blathers shouted dramatically.

"Use Thunder Punch!" Maylene ordered. Blathers laughed manically as he jumped out of the way.

"Use Chatter!" Leaf commanded.

"YoyoyoChatotindahouse! Getreadytapartyyyy! Nonononojustsayno! WhyistheskyALWAYSblueanyway?" Chatot began his mile a minute banter.

Machoke covered his ears in pain.

"Machoke! Use Thunder Punch!" Maylene commanded. But, Machoke refused. Doing so would mean he'd have to uncover one of his ears, and he wouldn't be able to stand that!

"Chatot! Keep using Chatter!" Leaf cried.

"HeyVegetawhat'shispowerlevelnow? NononoIwon'! !"

Machoke collapsed, unable to take it any longer. He fainted.

"You did your best, Machoke; take a good rest," Maylene recalled her Pokémon.

"Alright, Lucario! It's your turn now!" Maylene turned to her Lucario. Lucario nodded and jumped onto the battlefield before Chatot.

"Tough guy, huh?" Blathers sneered, "Just wait 'til ya see my fists of fury! Wa-CHAA!"

Lucario scowled, clearly not amused. Leaf had a feeling that Chatter wasn't going to cut it this time.

"Okay, Blathers! Use your Fly attack!" Leaf commanded. Blathers twittered as he flew up high, well out of Lucario's reach. Lucario watched Blathers warily, waiting for the upcoming attack.

"Do you feel lucky, punk?" Blathers cried as he flew back down, ready to slam into Lucario. However, Lucario dodged the attack rather easily.

"What the…" Chatot hadn't seen that one coming. Next thing he knew, Lucario's paw connected with his side.

"Force Palm!" Maylene cried. The Force Palm attack sent Blathers sprawling. Blathers began to wail and sob like a crying little girl.

"Pull yourself together!" Leaf urged her Pokémon.

"ROUND TWO: FIGHT!" Chatot sprang back up into action. Lucario smirked, happy to have a bit of a challenge.

"Use Chatter!" Leaf said to her Pokémon.

"Doesthisoutiftmakemelookfat? Watchoutyou'restandin'infrontofdaT.V!"

Lucario snarled. "Lucario! Finish this with Aura Sphere!" Maylene cried.

"Raaa!" Lucario's Aura Sphere was a direct hit, and Blathers fainted.

Leaf recalled her Pokémon and considered carefully. She immediately thought of her Flareon, but she knew that Lucario was rather fast. She wasn't certain if Flareon could pull off a Fire Blast on Lucario without missing. She'd trained Blastoise on his accuracy for years. Maybe he could pull off a strong attack on Lucario without missing him entirely. And, she could always rely on the powerful move, Surf.

Leaf couldn't help but grin slightly to herself. This was the battle she'd been waiting for, ever since she first arrived in Sinnoh. As much as she admired Riley's Lucario, it just made her want to challenge it even more. Of course, this wasn't Riley's Lucario standing before them for battle, but it was close enough anyway.

"It's your turn, Vegeta!" Leaf sent out her Blastoise.

"Blastiose!" Vegeta let out his battle cry. Lucario smirked.

"Lucario! Use Aura Sphere!" Maylene cried.

Blastoise winced at the powerful attack.

"Hang in there, Vegeta! Use your Surf!" Leaf cried. Vegeta's powerful wave crashed into Lucario, thoroughly drenching him.

"Lucario! Use your Aura Sphere again!" Maylene ordered.

"Vegeta! Withdraw into your shell!" Leaf cried quickly.

Lucario's attack hit, but it wasn't as effective with Blastoise hidden in his shell.

"Metal Claw!" Maylene commanded. Lucario's spikes transformed to claws in a flash of light. He rushed at Blastoise, preparing to slice him up as soon as he came out of the shell.

'Big mistake,' Leaf thought to herself, "Use Skull Bash!"

Blastoise slammed into Lucario, who was not expecting this sort of attack. Lucario fell to the ground, dazed slightly by Vegeta's sheer weight. But, it didn't take Lucario long to shake it off and get back up, ready for more.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take down Lucario!" Maylene grinned.

"No doubt," Leaf agreed.

"Use Close Combat!" Maylene cried.

Leaf panicked for a moment. That was a pretty strong attack; would Vegeta be able to handle it? How easy would it be for Maylene to finish the battle after that attack! But she remembered that move's only weakness from watching Riley use it. Lucario would have to move in close to use this attack, and his guard would be down.

"Vegeta! Use Hydro Pump!" Leaf urged.

Just as Blastoise was beaten senseless by the move, he recovered slightly and blasted Lucario head-on with a powerful jet of water.

"Good…" Leaf let out a sigh of relief. Vegeta wasn't down for the count just yet.

But neither was Lucario. He stood up, shaking off the excess water soaking his fur.

"Not bad, Leaf," Maylene said with a smirk, "This battle is getting pretty fun, huh?"

"You said it," Leaf agreed, "Too bad it's going to end soon!"

"We'll see about that! Use Aura Sphere, Lucario!"

Leaf wasn't certain Vegeta would be able to handle another attack like that. It was all or nothing right now, "Blow that sphere away with your Hydro Cannon! Take careful aim!"

Vegeta took several seconds to focus before unleashing his most powerful attack. The attack knocked Lucario's Aura Sphere back at him along with the devastating force of Hydro Cannon itself.

Lucario fainted. And Maylene recalled her Pokémon.

"You did it, Vegeta!" Leaf cried. Riolu jumped around happily. Vegeta turned around to grin at them.

Later, Leaf was hanging around outside waiting for Maylene. Her referee was standing around nearby.

"Hey, I wonder where the Pokéstalker is…" Leaf wondered aloud, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Oh? That man? He hasn't come around here much ever since Maylene became Gym Leader," the referee explained.

"Huh? Why not?" Leaf asked.

"Well…" the referee smirked slightly, "Maylene's Lucario doesn't really like him much…"

Leaf laughed, "So, Lucario scares him off?"

"Exactly."

Leaf laughed. She couldn't really blame Lucario for that. She found Pokéstalker to be rather annoying as well.

"Leaf, I'm happy to present you with the Veilstone City badge," Maylene emerged from the Gym and held out her badge.

"Thank you," Leaf smiled as she took the badge, "And thank you too, Eggman… Er, I mean Mr. Referee!"

The referee just looked confused.

"Our battle was so much fun! I hope to battle you again one day!" Maylene grinned happily at Leaf.

"Maybe," Leaf grinned back.

After that, Leaf headed to the Pokémon Center to heal up her Pokémon. Vegeta was pretty tired, and Popuri and Blathers had fainted. When she handed them over to Nurse Joy, she told Leaf that it would take some time for her to heal them.

So, Leaf decided to do some shopping with Riolu while she was waiting around and was pleasantly surprised to find out that Veilstone had a huge shopping center not unlike Celadon City. Leaf eagerly entered the building to see what they had for sale with Riolu trailing along after her.

"Welcome to the Veilstone Department Store!" a woman behind a counter greeted Leaf.

"Hi," Leaf walked over to talk with the woman about the various sales going on today. Riolu looked around, wide eyed. He then took notice of the escalator leading to the basement level. Riolu watched the steps move mechanically with their rhythmic motion.

"You ready, Riolu?" Leaf came up behind her Pokémon and picked him up.

"Aaah?" Riolu squeaked. Leaf giggled and then stood on the escalator steps. Riolu looked around wildly as the two slowly moved downstairs. "Waa? Aa?"

"It's nothing, Riolu; don't worry about it," Leaf reassured him. Riolu settled down a little and watched the ground approach them. Once they reached the bottom, Leaf walked off the escalator and onto the regular floor like it was nothing. Riolu was astounded.

"Would you like to buy some Poffins?" a lady asked her customer.

"Poffin? I don't even know what that is…" Leaf looked confused. She figured she'd check out the other stands.

"What do you sell here?" Leaf asked a free saleswoman.

"Oh, I'm selling Lava Cookies!"

"Lava Cookies?" Leaf was ecstatic. No other item could be so cheap and yet so useful at the same time!

After she had bought several, Leaf made her way to another stand.

"Sorry… I'm all out of Rage Candy Bars," the lady shrugged as she saw Leaf approach.

"Aw, man…" Leaf looked around the other stands, but there wasn't much that she wanted to buy, aside from a few rare berries.

"Well, ready to go upstairs, Riolu?" Leaf asked as she headed for the elevator. Riolu assumed that she was just going to another room, but he was surprised to find that they went into a very small room with no windows.

"Which floor would you like?" the lady inside the elevator asked Leaf.

"Uh…" Leaf wasn't used to having a lady around whose sole purpose was to push the button for people on the elevator. Was this a response to those people who wore out the bell by dinging it over and over again?

"Top floor, I guess," Leaf answered.

"Very well," the lady pressed the buttons. Riolu squeaked in fear as the doors closed. He buried his face in Leaf's shoulder as the elevator rose.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Riolu," Leaf had forgotten that he was a little claustrophobic, "You'll be fine…" she tried to reassure him as she hugged him close.

Eventually, the elevator doors opened, and Riolu relaxed. Leaf walked out of the elevator and looked at her Pokémon, "You okay now?"

Riolu nodded and jumped out of her arms. He ran up to the window and gasped at the wonderful view. His big eyes shined with adoration.

"Yeah, there's a great view from up here," Leaf agreed as she stood beside her Pokémon. They admired the view for a while before they decided to get going again. Leaf picked up Riolu again before she took the escalator back down to the next floor.

Leaf shopped for a while, but she didn't want to spend all her money all at once, so eventually she decided to quit while she was ahead.

"Ready to go?" Leaf looked down at Riolu, "I'm sure that all the other Pokémon are feeling better by now," she grinned. Riolu nodded with a smile.

They headed back for the Pokémon Center to find that all Leaf's Pokémon were all healed up now.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Leaf said to the nurse as she received her pokéballs.

"No problem, come back soon," Joy smiled.

Leaf walked out of the Pokémon Center with Riolu at her side.

"Well, it looks like now there's nothing to stop us from going straight to Lake Valor from here!" Leaf said with determination. Riolu imitated her determination by clenching his little fist.

"We're finally going to see Azelf!" Leaf said with her gaze set on the horizon beyond the city limits.


	19. Chapter 19: Azelf and Lucario

Leaf exhaled deeply as she beheld the open road before her. It was a bright and sunny afternoon, and she was raring to go.

"I'm certain I won't get lost today," Leaf told her Riolu somewhat proudly.

Riolu looked slightly surprised at that and cocked his head to the side as if to inquire as to how that could be true.

"Well… Because we just need to go south and that's all!" Leaf grinned.

Leaf and Riolu walked for a long time until they reached a deep forest, "We should be getting close now…" Leaf said quietly. They wandered through the dense forest until they reached a sign.

"Hmm… 'Lake Valor, home of the Legendary Lake Pokémon, Azelf'," Leaf read aloud, "'According to the legend, Azelf is the Being of Willpower. It is thanks to this Pokémon that the people of this land are blessed with the courage to overcome obstacles'."

"Hmm, looks like this is the place," Leaf looked ahead into the forest where there appeared to be a large clearing, "Let's go."

Leaf and Riolu walked into the clearing and beheld a huge, pure lake that glistened in the warm sunlight, "Wow, it's beautiful here," Leaf breathed.

Riolu looked around and then ran up to the lake water to get a good view of the water Pokémon.

"Yup, there's tons of Magikarp down there," Leaf stood beside Riolu and gazed at the water. It wasn't that different from Lake Verity in that regard.

Riolu giggled and waved at the Magikarp. Leaf giggled.

"Alright, Vegeta! Come on out!" Leaf released her Blastoise, and he took to the water with a huge splash. Riolu shook himself off like a little puppy dog to get rid of the water that had splashed up onto him.

"Okay, Vegeta! You know the drill; will you take us to that cavern in the center of the Lake?"

"Blastoise!" Leaf's Pokémon nodded. Leaf picked up Riolu and held him in her arms before getting onto Blastoise. Vegeta then headed to the small cavern with Leaf sitting on his back.

After the short trip, Leaf stepped off of Blastoise and onto the small island, "Thanks for the lift," Leaf smiled as she recalled her Pokémon.

Riolu jumped out of her arms and landed on the ground beside her. Leaf gazed at the cavern before her and headed inside with Riolu on her heels. Just like last time, the cavern appeared much larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Leaf gazed around the empty cavern waiting for Azelf to appear. She stared at the large but shallow puddle before her that was shaped into an unfamiliar symbol. Riolu promptly ran over to play in the water.

Just then, a flash of light appeared in the center of the cavern and the legendary Azelf appeared!

"It's Azelf!" Leaf cried. Riolu jumped and ran back over to Leaf.

"This time I'm not about to let you get away!" Leaf said with determination.

Azelf met her determined gaze with one of his own. He wasn't about to run from this challenge.

"Come out, Blaze!" Leaf sent out her Flareon.

"AAAAZELF!" Azelf shrieked. He was using Uproar!

"Use Flamethrower!" Leaf had to shout to be heard. Blaze unleashed a flurry of flames from her mouth at Azelf, who managed to dodge most of the attack.

Azelf's eyes began to glow with strong psychic power.

"Be careful, Blaze," Leaf warned. Blaze nodded and braced herself.

But…..

Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Leaf blinked, "What kind of attack was that?"

"Well, whatever! It's our turn now! Use your Flamethrower again!" Leaf wanted to decrease Azelf's health gradually. She certainly didn't want to cause the Legendary Pokémon to faint.

Azelf had a devious look on his face, and Leaf supposed that he was using the move Nasty Plot.

"Okay; use Flamethrower one more time!" Leaf told her Flareon. Azelf was getting tired now from the damage.

"Good, Blaze! Just hang on a second while I-" Leaf was cut off when a sudden psychic blast exploded next to Blaze!

"Aaah! Flareon! Are you okay?" Leaf was shocked by this sudden attack. It didn't look like Azelf had even raised a finger! How did this happen? Then Leaf realized that Azelf's psychic attack from earlier must have had a delayed reaction. A devastating one at that…

"Flareon!" Blaze got back on her feet, but she was wincing with pain. Leaf didn't want to risk pushing her any farther.

"That's okay, Blaze; just rest for now," Leaf recalled her Flareon. Then she let out Swablu.

"I think Uproar might have worn off by now," Leaf mused as Azelf prepared another Future Sight attack, "Use Sing!"

Popuri sang her enchanting lullaby, and Azelf fell asleep. Perfect! Leaf tossed an Ultra Ball at Azelf and watched the ball twitch vigorously. Then the sleeping Azelf popped back out.

"That's okay; I've got plenty more," Leaf said as she pulled out another Ultra Ball. She was glad she had thought to stock up on plenty of Ultra Balls while she was shopping yesterday.

She threw another one, and this one didn't cut it either. Then, suddenly, the devastating blow of Future Sight smashed into Popuri.

"Hang in there, Popuri," Leaf urged. She would capture Azelf. She was determined to do it!

After another failed capture, Leaf had Popuri use Sing again. Several throws later…

The Ultra Ball twitched, twitched, twitched…

Leaf held her breath, hoping beyond hope that she had it now…

Ding!

"We did it!" Leaf cried. Popuri flew around Leaf happily as if she were dancing. Riolu cheered.

"I have always wanted to catch a Legendary Pokémon! And I did it!" Leaf was ecstatic. She picked up Riolu in one arm and held Swablu in the other.

"And it's all thanks to you guys," Leaf smiled as she hugged them both. Popuri chirped happily and Riolu giggled.

Leaf set them down and walked over to Azelf's Ultra Ball. She picked it up and gazed at it, almost as if she couldn't believe that it was hers now.

"Swablu, Swablu!" Popuri chirped as if to say that she wanted to greet the newest friend and addition to their team.

"Actually, I probably shouldn't let him out just now," Leaf shook her head, "He's probably pretty beat up and tired right about now…"

"And I bet you're a little tired, too!" Leaf turned to smile at Popuri, "Maybe you ought to rest in your pokéball for a while." Popuri seemed to agree, so Leaf recalled her Swablu. Leaf put the two pokéballs back into her bag and looked thoughtful.

"Well, I'm certainly going to have a lot to tell Professor Rowan," Leaf said with a small laugh. She stood, and motioned for Riolu to follow her out. Once they emerged from the cave, Leaf called on Vegeta to take them back over to the mainland.

Leaf and Riolu had wandered around in the forest for quite some time before they reached a tiny town on the outskirts of Valor Lakefront. Leaf had run into several trainers on the way, and she couldn't resist stopping to have a battle with them. However, as a result, her Pokémon were pretty exhausted, and it was getting late. Leaf hoped that there would be a Pokémon Center in this tiny town whose name she did not know. The little town probably wasn't even on her map.

"Wow, today really is my lucky day," Leaf grinned at Riolu when she spotted a Pokémon Center in the distance. Riolu looked a little sleepy, so Leaf picked him up and ran there.

"Hi, can you heal my Pokémon for me?" Leaf asked the Nurse Joy behind the desk as she plopped Riolu down on the counter. Riolu squeaked happily and waved at Joy.

"Uh?" Joy looked confused, "This Pokémon is completely healthy…"

Leaf was digging around in her bag for her pokéballs, "No, not him; I meant my other Pokémon," Leaf held out her other five pokéballs.

"Oh, of course, but I'm afraid our technology here isn't that advanced, so I think it will take an overnight rest for these Pokémon to recover."

"That's fine; I don't intend on leaving until tomorrow anyway," Leaf nodded.

"That's good," Joy smiled, "Oh? And, could you help me out a little with something?"

Leaf blinked, "What is it?"

"I received a letter this morning for a girl named Leaf. If you happen to know her, could you tell her about it?"

"Actually," Leaf smiled a little, "I'm Leaf."

"Oh, really? Good! I was so worried that it wouldn't reach you on time! Here it is!" Nurse Joy handed Leaf the letter.

"Hmm…" Leaf read the letter carefully.

"Oh my god! This letter is from Professor Rowan! He wants to meet me in… FIVE MINUTES!" Leaf exclaimed when she saw the time on the clock on the wall.

"You better get going!" Nurse Joy urged.

"Okay! I'll be right back! You'll watch over my Pokémon for me, right?" Leaf asked Joy.

"Of course!" Joy nodded, "No need to worry!"

"Okay, Riolu! You ready to go?" Leaf asked Riolu and held out her arms for him to jump. Then she dashed out of the Pokémon Center and headed for the spot Rowan had designated to meet.

It seemed a little strange to her, though. Why would Rowan want to meet her out in the middle of nowhere so late in the evening? Well, at least she'd have the chance to tell him in person that she had captured Azelf. He'd be pretty happy to hear about that, to say the least.

Leaf ran up to an old, abandoned-looking covered bridge. It looked eerie, but she figured she'd speed on through and not have to think about it for long.

"Oof," Leaf fell to the ground when she felt four strong hands shove her hard from behind. Riolu flew out of her arms and crashed to the ground not too far in front of her.

Leaf lifted her head and winced slightly at the pain from the sudden and unexpected fall, "What the heck… is going on?"

"So we finally meet our little Pokémon Researcher…" a woman's voice said eerily.

"Who are you?" Leaf blinked in the darkness, "Who's there?"

"You mean to say you don't recognize Team Galactic?" the woman stepped into the light, and Leaf gasped when she realized what kind of trouble she was in. She turned and saw two other male grunts behind her. They were the ones that had shoved her.

"What do you want?" Leaf demanded. She wouldn't let them know how nervous she was.

"We want to know everything you know," the woman smiled devilishly, "Tell us everything you know about the Legendary Lake Pokémon…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leaf lied.

"Don't play games with me! Tell us everything now!" the woman looked angry. Riolu started to get up, and it looked like he was hurt. He squeaked in fear from the grunt's threatening voice.

The woman's eyes flickered on Riolu for a minute, "Tell me what you know now, or else… We wouldn't want anything awful to happen to this sweet little Pokémon now, would we?"

"No! Leave him alone!" Leaf cried.

The grunt snickered and picked up Riolu by the scruff of the neck.

"Put him down!" Leaf shrieked and lunged for the grunt. She dug her nails into her neck.

"Get her off of me, you idiots!" the grunt shrieked and dropped Riolu.

The other two grunts snapped to attention and managed to pry Leaf off of their leader.

"That's it! I'm through with these games! Prepare her for transport! We're taking the researcher to Master Saturn for questioning. I know he'll be able to get everything we need out of her!" the grunt woman scowled as she ran a hand through her ruffled hair.

Leaf struggled against the grip of the two grunts, but it was no use. Without her Pokémon, she was defenseless. Riolu opened his eyes and watched with horror as the grunts subdued Leaf.

"Run away, Riolu! You have to get out of here!" Leaf cried. She knew she wasn't going to escape this time, but she wanted Riolu to be safe.

Riolu eyes widened. How could these people do this to Leaf? She had never done anything wrong. Even now, all she was worried about was him.

"Hurry up!" the grunt leader barked.

Riolu was frightened by these people, but he had to do something. He couldn't let this happen to Leaf. Riolu's eyes narrowed. He _wouldn't_ let this happen to Leaf!

"Riolu?" Leaf's eyes widened as her Pokémon began to glow.

The grunts looked at Riolu with confusion. What was going on?

"RAAAAAA!" Riolu evolved into Lucario!

Lucario hurled an Aura Sphere at the grunt leader, and she collapsed to the ground. Then Lucario aimed two Aura Spheres at the two remaining grunts. They were also knocked senseless by the unexpected attack. Finally, Lucario used Metal Claw to free his trainer and met her astonished gaze.

"Riolu… how did you… how did you _do _that…?" Leaf was stunned.

Lucario ignored her question and looked back in the direction they had come from. He gestured toward that direction with one arm and gently tugged on Leaf's arm with the other. He wanted to get back to town.

"Oh, yeah, you're probably right," Leaf said quickly as she glanced at the groaning grunts that didn't look like they'd be lying there for long, "We'd better get out of here…"

The two ran back for town just as the sun was beginning to set.

Note: The town where Leaf's Pokémon are being healed is completely made up. Don't try going there in your game; it won't work!

Although I'm sure anyone who's played the game would know that… Just didn't want any confusion…


	20. Chapter 20: Time to Train

"We have to find Officer Jenny!" Leaf told Lucario once they were in town. They then quickly ran to the tiny police station.

"Team Galactic!" Leaf managed to say. She was breathing heavily from all the running, "They're… on the…"

"Hold on!" Officer Jenny walked over to her with a look of worry etched on her face, "Just calm down for a moment and then tell me what's happened."

There wasn't time for that! Leaf willed herself to speak right now, "Team Galactic… they tried to… kidnap me, and they… they're on… that old covered… bridge outside town…"

"You heard! Get a move on!" Jenny ordered the other police officers, "Stay here. We'll go take a look. You'll be safe here," she said to Leaf before she left with the others.

"Okay…" Leaf collapsed into a chair, completely exhausted. Her heart was racing and her mind was reeling. It took her a while to finally catch her breath. She then realized that her Lucario wasn't even winded. All that running wasn't a problem for him.

Leaf looked up at her Pokémon. She could hardly believe that she had her own Lucario already. It all seemed pretty unreal to her at the moment. Lucario noticed that she was looking at him, and he looked back at her kindly. It seemed to Leaf that Lucario could somehow sense what she was feeling. It somewhat unnerved her, and his gaze was unfamiliar. Then she saw that familiar light in his eye that was distinctly Riolu's.

In spite of everything, Leaf smiled. The little baby Riolu had grown already. It was amazing and sad at the same time.

"Aah! You're hurt!" Leaf realized when she noticed a deep wound on Lucario's arm. It must have been from that initial fall. Lucario himself only just noticed it now. He frowned at it while Leaf searched for a Super Potion in her bag. Once she found it, she stood to apply the medicine. When she did, she was a little surprised to discover how small her Lucario was compared to other Lucario that she had come across in her travels through Sinnoh so far. Maybe he wasn't finished growing… Leaf really had no idea. But that didn't really matter right now.

Lucario winced when she sprayed the medicine on the wound, "Yeah, it hurts now, but it'll make you feel better later," Leaf assured him, "Now, are you hurt anywhere else?"

Lucario looked about himself frantically almost as if he was completely lost and confused.

"I guess not…" Leaf sat back down and noticed a cut on her leg near her knee. She pulled out a napkin to wipe up the blood. She didn't really have access to any water at the moment to clean the wound, so she decided to spray some Super Potion on herself. It can't hurt, right…? If it works for Pokémon, why can't it work for her too?

Just then, Officer Jenny returned with the other officers, "I'm sorry. We couldn't find anyone there."

"Go to their Hideout in Veilstone City! I'm sure you'll find them there with all the rest of those crooks!" Leaf stood.

"We can't raid a building without a search warrant. There has to be just cause…"

"They tried to kidnap me! They've stolen meteorites! They've taken energy from the Valley Windworks! They're harassing Pokémon on Iron Island! Heck, they're even stealing Pokémon from all the kids that come to Veilstone City! There are a hundred reasons why you should arrest the whole lot of them! They're ALL up to no good!" Leaf raged.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do anything unless we have evidence of wrongdoing."

"So, you're calling me a liar," Leaf crossed her arms across her chest.

"No, what you're saying may very well be true, but we must have solid evidence in order to…"

"Look!" Leaf cut her off, "I'm not doing this for myself, you know! You see, I was lucky enough to get away from them because I had help from my Pokémon here. What I'm worried about is the next person that Team Galactic decides to go after. What if this person DOESN'T have anyone there to protect them? What happens to THAT person?"

"I… I'm sorry, but I can't... Unless something_ actually_ happens I can't…"

"Whatever!" Leaf spun on her heels to leave, "Just forget it! I'm outta here!" She slammed the door angrily on her way out.

"Those pathetic police officers are absolutely useless! The one time you actually need their help, they completely fail you! I can't believe these people! Team Galactic is operating right underneath everyone's noses, and everyone's too afraid to do ANYTHING about it!" Leaf complained loudly to Lucario.

Leaf kicked at the ground in defeat, "Well… that's the government for you… Never can do anything right…"

Leaf looked over at Lucario, "Aw, man… What with all this commotion, I completely forgot to thank you, Lucario."

Lucario shrugged and looked away. Before he knew it, however, Leaf had him in a crushing hug, "Thank you so much, Lucario!" When she finally let go, Lucario could finally breathe again.

"Well, let's get back to the Pokémon Center and get some rest," Leaf said wearily after all was said and done.

"How did your meeting with Professor Rowan go?" Nurse Joy smiled pleasantly at Leaf once the two made it back to the Pokémon Center.

"Actually… I didn't meet Professor Rowan at all… It was all a trap…" Leaf said quietly.

"Oh my!" Joy looked rather shocked, "Well, I'm glad to see that you're safe at least. You must have been so frightened!"

"Yeah…" Leaf said wearily. She was feeling really tired.

"Wait, didn't you leave here with a Riolu?" Joy peered at Lucario with confusion.

"To make a long story short, Riolu evolved," Leaf told her. After she finished talking with Nurse Joy, Leaf was happy to finally go to sleep.

The next day, Leaf opened her eyes slowly. As she woke up, she felt relieved that she didn't have any dreams.

Leaf gazed at the ceiling as she thought of what she would do now. Her next quest was to find Uxie. However, the quickest route from here to Lake Acuity was through Veilstone. She didn't think it'd be such a great idea to go anywhere near Team Galactic's Hideout when they were after her. She'd have to make a detour. She could go to Pastoria City, and from there, she should be safe to go through Mt. Coronet without Team Galactic finding her. That sounded logical, but she figured the best thing for her to do now was to lie low in the forests near Lake Valor. No one would find her there. She'd be safe for a little while, and perhaps Team Galactic would grow tired of searching for her and eventually give up.

Leaf sighed quietly. Who was she kidding? Team Galactic would never give up on her so easily, especially not now with Azelf in her possession. But then Leaf had to wonder why on earth Team Galactic was so intent on uncovering information regarding the Legendary Lake Pokémon. Why were they so important to them? Did they want to capture them all and use their combined powers for something?

Leaf sat up in her bed. Well, they wouldn't be able to get their hands on all the Lake Pokémon that easily. Who knew where Mesprit was, Uxie was way up in the snowy, mountainous north, and she would guard Azelf for as long as it took. He was part of her team now, and she wouldn't let him down.

Leaf snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at her Lucario. He was sleeping on the floor, even though she told him he could take a bed. Every single one of them was empty, and she doubted many travelers would stop and stay in this town. But what struck her was that Lucario was sprawled on the floor in a heap almost as if he were knocked unconscious. It looked like he fell asleep and crashed to the floor before he even had a chance to lie down.

Leaf shook these thoughts out of her head. Lucario was just tired. She carefully stepped over him to get to the bathroom. She took her time showering and getting ready for the day. She wanted Lucario to have a chance to sleep longer.

Eventually, she came out of the bathroom and began to pull on her boots. She grabbed her bag and put on her signature white hat last.

"Yo, Lucario! Wake up! We've gotta get going soon!"

"Hah?" Lucario jumped violently and raised his head, eyes wide with surprise. He had been jolted awake.

"Oh, sorry there, buddy. I didn't mean to startle you like that…" Leaf felt bad.

Lucario got up and stood by her side already ready to go.

"Did you get taller or something?" Leaf looked confused. Did Pokémon grow several inches at once in their sleep like that? How odd…

"Never mind…You're ready now? Should we get going?" Leaf asked. Lucario nodded affirmatively.

"Here're your Pokémon!" Nurse Joy said brightly when Leaf approached the counter, "They should be feeling much better now!"

"Thanks," Leaf smiled as she took her pokéballs.

"Okay, Lucario," Leaf began as the two walked back to the forest near Lake Valor, "I've decided that we're going to hang out in these woods for a few days so that we can stay out of sight for a while. This will be the perfect opportunity to practice your battle skills for Gym challenges. Since… you haven't even participated in a battle yet," Leaf was sheepish. How was she to know Lucario would evolve so fast? He certainly wasn't like any other Pokémon she had trained before. Then again, she had never raised a baby Pokémon before now. And she didn't feel it was right to make a baby battle.

"Ha!" Lucario agreed readily, eager to prove himself.

"Okay," Leaf stood in the center of a modest clearing, "We can train here for a while."

Lucario jumped into position before her ready to fight an invisible foe.

"Hmm, let's start by finding out which moves you know…" Leaf said thoughtfully, "And, since I can't use my dumb Pokédex, we're going to have to figure it out ourselves…"

"Alright," Leaf remembered that Lucario had used Aura Sphere against those grunts. She wanted to see how well Lucario was at it, "Try using Aura Sphere!"

Lucario focused his aura and attempted to charge a powerful sphere. Once he had gathered plenty of energy, he hurled it at the nearest tree. However… the sphere was incredibly tiny, and it fizzled out before it even reached the tree. Lucario looked shocked at his utter failure for a moment, and then his shock quickly turned to shame.

"So… that was a one-time deal, huh?" Leaf scratched her head, "That's okay. We can work on that. It normally takes a long time to learn powerful moves like that," Leaf reassured him.

"Well, now let's try out Metal Claw!" Leaf said with enthusiasm.

The spikes on Lucario's paws glowed as they transformed into claws. Lucario sliced up the leaves on several bushes with ease.

"Wow, that was great!" Leaf was impressed by her Lucario's dexterity. It took her forever to get her Squirtle to move so fast and strike so powerfully. How did Lucario get so good without even practicing?

"Well, now we should try…" Leaf thought back to moves that Riley's and Maylene's Lucario knew, "Force Palm."

Lucario smirked as he jumped up to a tree trunk and pressed his paw against it. He penetrated straight through to the tree's core and devastated it. The tree fell over from the damage inflicted on its trunk.

"Whoa, be careful," Leaf warned after the tree crashed down.

"Um, now try… Quick Attack?" Every Pokémon pretty much knew that move, right?

Lucario successfully used Quick Attack, and this time he didn't break any trees.

"Great! Now try… Tackle?" Leaf tried.

Lucario grunted in annoyance. There was nothing to tackle here, and he didn't even want to try that lame move.

"Okay… Um… I can't think of any more!" Leaf cried, "I've never HAD a Lucario before! I don't know! Can't you think of something?"

Lucario looked annoyed, but then he started saying something to her, but she couldn't really understand his language…

"Uh… sorry… but what…?" Leaf had no idea what he was saying.

Lucario sighed loudly, but then proceeded to explain very slowly and with many hand gestures and movements.

"Uh…" Leaf watched her Lucario act out whatever he was trying to tell her, "You say you've invented a new dance move…?"

Lucario growled angrily. "Hey, don't get mad at me; I can't speak Lucario!" Leaf shot back.

"Oh, wait, maybe there's someone who can translate for me," Leaf realized and she sent out Chatot.

"Wild Chatot appeared!" Chatot shrieked with horror as he appeared in a flash of light.

"Whatever, Blathers; just tell me what Lucario is saying…" Leaf rolled her eyes.

Lucario spoke with Blathers, and he actually seemed to be listening carefully.

"Okay… so what'd he say…?" Leaf asked impatiently after a very long pause.

"Raa! Ha! Grr!" Chatot imitated Lucario in a high pitched fashion.

"I meant in English!" Leaf snapped.

"Bring me a fossil!" Blathers ordered.

"No! Tell me what Lucario said now!" Leaf was irritated.

"But…" Blathers began to sob, "I know how to identify them now…!"

"Enough nonsense! Cut to the chase!" Leaf complained.

"Shut up!" Blathers whined in a Leaf imitation.

"I don't have time for this!" Leaf pulled out her pokéball to return Chatot.

"I LOVE BASTIODON!" Blathers shouted as he was sucked into the pokéball.

"So annoying!" Leaf shook her head, "Whatever. I guess it doesn't really matter what your last move is; I'll just buy you a TM or something later."

"Now let's find some wild Pokémon for you to practice your moves on. You can also see what it's like to fight in a real battle," Leaf smiled at Lucario.

"Haa!" Lucario smirked, eager to test his new skills in battle.

Note: Wow, twenty chapters already! I didn't think it'd happen so fast! I don't think I've ever written a story so quickly before. I guess it really does help when you have a general outline in your head before you even start writing.

Anyway, since I'm here, I want to thank everyone who's reviewed so far. Sorry that I haven't said it earlier… But anyway, it's great to hear what you have to say, and I'm glad the story seems to be going over well.

So, thanks for reviewing, and most of all thanks to anyone who's even just took the time to read the story.


	21. Chapter 21: PokéPals?

"…Man…" Leaf stared at the piles of fainted Pokémon on the ground that her Lucario had defeated. Maybe Lucario didn't really need much extensive training after all... It seemed to her that Lucario could actually fare well against her other Pokémon if they took it easy on him.

"That Counter of yours is actually pretty effective," Leaf said to Lucario as he walked over in her direction. She had finally figured out his last attack when he had used it against a wild Starly. And of course, now she could understand why he couldn't demonstrate it for her earlier when there were no other Pokémon around.

"I've been thinking…" Leaf began, "what would you say to a little bit of sparring with my other Pokémon? I think you're ready now to tackle tougher opponents."

Lucario looked eager to try that idea.

"Cool!" Leaf grinned. She let out all of her Pokémon except for Azelf. She figured it wasn't particularly safe to let him out yet. She was still a little nervous about Team Galactic.

"Hey everyone," Leaf smiled as she greeted her Pokémon. Popuri immediately flew up to her to dust her off. Then she attempted to move on to Lucario. However, Lucario wasn't accustomed to this ritual, and he swatted the annoying bird away whenever Swablu got too close.

"Whoa, take it easy," Leaf noticed that this could become a conflict.

"Swablu is only trying to dust you off," Leaf explained to Lucario, "She does it to everybody. Just relax and let her do her thing."

Lucario allowed Popuri to dust him off. He closed his eyes and braced himself like he was about to be struck by a brutal attack. But it was over quickly, and Swablu moved on to the next Pokémon. When she finished, she headed over to a little brook to clean off her wings.

"Okay, how about we do a little bit of training?" Leaf asked her Pokémon.

"Boooo!" Blathers called out.

Leaf rolled her eyes, "Fine; Blathers can sit out while everyone else trains."

"No, please don't leave me…" Blathers sobbed dramatically as though he had been left behind to die.

"Whatever! I was only saying that because I figured the rest of you could break off into two groups and train together…" Leaf was annoyed.

"But fine, Vegeta; would you mind sitting out for this one?" Leaf asked.

Vegeta looked to be rather adamantly opposed to the idea. He loved training almost as much as battling.

"Okay… Blaze?" Leaf tried. Blaze leapt over to Leaf and nuzzled against her, "Aw, thanks; I'm glad you're agreeable at least," Leaf smiled as she stroked her Flareon.

"As for the rest of you, I think it'll work out smoothly if you split off into two groups to spar with each other…. Lucario, I think it'll be best if you pair with-" Leaf was cut off by frantic begging from Vegeta.

"What! You've gotta be kiddin' me!" Leaf exclaimed. That was just insane! Vegeta had been battling opponents for years; Lucario just started this morning! What kind of horrible match-up was that?

But Lucario seemed to like the idea. The two of them glared at each other with intensity.

"Uh… okay…" Leaf scratched her head, "Fine. Just try not to kill each other. Blathers and Swablu will have to spar with each other then…"

"This town ain't big enough fer the two of us," Blathers strutted over to Popuri. Popuri chirped threateningly. And yes, I suppose that really _is_ possible…

"Aw, man, what the heck?" Leaf smacked her hand to her face, "I wanted my Pokémon to _train_ together, not beat each other to a pulp…" Blaze just sat back and enjoyed the show.

"I don't understand it; I've done this sort of training before, and it seemed to work out just fine back then…" Leaf looked defeated.

Leaf then just decided to give up for now and watched Lucario and Vegeta stare each other down. That got boring pretty quickly, so she focused her attention on the two birds. Popuri was aiming her Dragon Pulse at Blathers who dodged every attack and laughed at her failure to hit him. Popuri looked pretty miffed and started using Steel Wing. Blathers began to Chatter mindlessly at her.

"Good work," Leaf acknowledged. Then she looked over at Vegeta and Lucario. Vegeta had Lucario's entire arm in his mouth, and Lucario was frantically slicing at his face with his free arm using Metal Claw.

"Stop!" Leaf cried. Vegeta and Lucario looked up from their fight at Leaf.

"What is the matter with you, Blastoise! You're not supposed to EAT Lucario! You know better than to do that to one of your comrades!" Leaf glared at her Pokémon, "What if you two needed to fight together in a double battle? Are you going to embarrass me like that by pointlessly fighting each other all the time? You two need to resolve your differences now! I won't stand for it!"

Vegeta opened his mouth to let Lucario go, and Lucario jumped to the ground nearby with a defiant look on his face. He refused to look at Vegeta.

"Apologize to each other," Leaf ordered. Lucario immediately protested to the idea.

Leaf didn't even want to hear about it, "Quit acting like a baby and just do it."

Lucario and Vegeta glared at each other before they finally apologized.

"There, that's a bit better, I hope…" Leaf said thoughtfully, "But I suppose it was my fault for not letting you guys have a chance to become friends before I had you spar each other…"

"That's enough training for now," Leaf called out to Blathers and Swablu as well, "I think it'd be better for you guys to just get used to each other while I make some lunch. Just try to tolerate each other at the very least," Leaf sighed as she left to pull together some lunch.

Blathers flew up to Vegeta and landed on his water cannon, "Ready… aim… FIRE!" Blathers shrieked and then began to laugh manically.

"Just calm down, Blathers," Popuri sighed as she landed on the other cannon.

"I need back-up!" Blathers cried out to her. Popuri just folded her wings and tried to relax.

"Hey, look, Lucario, I didn't mean to bite your arm. I held back so that you could still keep it," Vegeta smirked.

Lucario growled at him, "If you want to keep yours, you'll shut it."

"Hey, knock it off," Blaze spoke up, "Leaf doesn't want you to fight."

"Hey, he's the one getting all bent out of shape," Vegeta retorted.

"Just stop it!" Blaze growled.

"Vegeta's just upset because he thinks Leaf likes Lucario better," Popuri flew over to Lucario and landed on his head.

"Objection!" Blathers shrieked.

Everyone waited.

"Well… what's your objection?" Blaze asked finally.

"IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IRON DEFENSE! IROOON DEFEEEEENSE!"

Swablu shot Dragon Pulse at him, but he dodged the attack and flew off crying to Leaf.

"Get off of me," Lucario ordered. Popuri's eyes filled with tears, and she flew off to Leaf.

"Just forget it… We'll never be friends…" Blaze lowered her head.

"We got along well enough until he showed up!" Vegeta pointed out.

"So now you're going to blame it all on me!" Lucario growled.

"What's going on?" Leaf exclaimed when she came over to see what all the fuss was about, "Do you really hate each other that much? Like, you can't even get along for FIVE MINUTES?"

The Pokémon adverted their eyes from her gaze.

"Please, guys, I really need for you to all get along…" Leaf sighed, "It's really important to me that you guys work as a team. I know we all got started off on the wrong foot, but let's just put it all behind us for now. The fact is: Team Galactic is after Azelf. It's up to us to make sure that he stays safe. If we can't even get along, then we might as well give up now."

All of the Pokémon looked guilty from her words. Yes, even Blathers.

"It's going to take a lot of strength and cooperation from all of you to make sure Team Galactic doesn't get their way with us. I can't do it alone… I need _all _of your help. I hate to be cheesy but…"

Leaf smiled, "We can do much more when we work together as a team."

The Pokémon all seemed to agree with that, and the tension was, thankfully, relieved for now.

"Great; now how about we eat now? My stomach's all guu," Leaf grinned.

While they ate, the Pokémon didn't bug each other _as_ much, and tensions were eased. It's hard to stay angry with others when you're all eating great food together.

After lunch, Popuri seemed to ask Leaf whether they should continue training.

"No, I think we've done enough training for today. It's important to rest too," Leaf decided.

Leaf got up and walked over to her bag to find her music player. Once she did, she found a shady spot to lie down and listen to her music. Vegeta laid down on his stomach and hid in his shell. Popuri and Blathers landed on top of Vegeta's shell to chat. Well, Popuri was doing most of the talking while Blathers would randomly interject with strange quotes. Blaze chased the butterflies around.

Lucario wasn't certain what he should do. He was used to traveling around everywhere with Leaf. Standing still like this felt strange to him. He watched Blaze chase around butterflies, but he didn't feel like joining in. He had followed butterflies before, but he knew now that if he caught them, he'd have a good possibility of hurting them. They were too fragile to touch.

Lucario walked over to Vegeta. He wasn't afraid of him even though he knew that the Blastoise could easily best him in battle. But, he knew it wouldn't be long before he'd see him as his biggest rival. Lucario ducked to the ground to peer into Vegeta's shell to see for himself what he was actually doing in there. Lucario was vaguely surprised when Vegeta opened his eyes.

"Whaddya want? I'm trying to take a nap…" Vegeta said wearily.

"Never mind. I'm sorry to disturb you."

Vegeta looked a bit perplexed by this sudden politeness, but then he shrugged it off and fell back asleep.

Popuri peered down curiously at Lucario, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing…"

"Savor your last moments!" Blathers cried dramatically.

Lucario blinked.

"Because I am going to DESTROY you!" Blathers shrieked.

"Oh no!" Popuri cried and flew down to dust off Lucario.

"Quit that," Lucario ordered.

"I can't!" Popuri insisted.

"Lucario! Use Close Combat!" Blathers ordered.

"No," Lucario scowled.

"Try not to take him so seriously," Popuri said to Lucario as she dusted Blathers.

Lucario walked back over to Leaf. He didn't really feel like he connected with the other Pokémon as well as he did with her. Maybe they would eventually grow on him, but for now, he was tired of trying to deal with them. The five of them certainly made quite the team…

Note: This chapter felt pretty boring to write, but I think it's somewhat necessary to see how the Pokémon get along.

The next chapter should be more interesting… Please stay tuned.


	22. Chapter 22: Turnback Cave

"Alright; time to return to your pokéballs," Leaf told her Pokémon. She didn't want to stick to one place for such a long time in case Team Galactic was on her trail. She recalled each Pokémon, but when she got to Lucario, he protested frantically.

"What's up, Lucario? Don't you want to return to your pokéball?" Leaf asked.

Lucario shook his head and continued to protest.

"Well… okay, I guess it's fine," Leaf shrugged. She had never had a Pokémon refuse the pokéball so strongly before. After she put his Pokéball away, Lucario relaxed and followed Leaf as she searched for a great place to camp for the night.

"I've got it!" Leaf suddenly exclaimed. Lucario jumped. Neither of them had made a sound the entire time they walked, so he wasn't expecting such a sudden outburst.

"I've finally figured out the perfect nickname for you!" Leaf beamed at Lucario.

Lucario blinked. Somehow he wasn't so certain he wanted to hear it…

"It's Knuckles!" Leaf grinned. Lucario immediately looked down at his knuckles.

"No, I wasn't inspired by your actual knuckles or anything like that… Actually, I wanted to name you after one of my favorite video game characters."

Lucario blinked again. He wondered what a 'video game' was.

"…Knuckles is really strong, and he even has dreadlocks like you do and…" Leaf began rambling on about how great Knuckles was. She knew that Lucario didn't know anything about Knuckles so she started telling her Pokémon all about him.

"… Now, I know that Knuckles is red, but one of my brothers was able to hack the game so that you can make Knuckles blue…" Leaf went on. Lucario listened carefully. He wanted to learn everything he could about his namesake.

"So anyway," Leaf turned to her Pokémon after she had finally finished her description, "What do you think of the name Knuckles? Do you like it?"

Knuckles nodded affirmatively. The name sounded fine to him, and he was happy to be named after someone Leaf seemed to admire.

"Cool! Then Knuckles will be your new nickname! …Huh? Is something wrong?" Leaf asked.

Knuckles' dreads were floating, and his eyes were closed. Apparently he was sensing something with his Aura…

"What IS it?" Leaf hated not knowing what was going on, "Do you sense Team Galactic?" she asked once he opened his eyes again.

Knuckles shook his head and pointed behind her. He didn't look all that concerned, so Leaf relaxed just a little before she turned to see what was coming.

"Mesprit!" a sweet voice cried. Leaf gasped when the familiar Pokémon floated into view. Mesprit giggled at Leaf's astonished expression before she promptly flew off.

"That was Mesprit!" Leaf exclaimed, "Quick! We have to catch her!" Leaf cried out as she ran after the tiny Pokémon. Knuckles took off after her, and eventually led the way when Mesprit flew out of view.

Leaf ran as quickly as she could, but she could barely keep up with her Lucario, and she knew he was slowing down for her.

"This isn't going to work… I'm never going to catch up…" Leaf panted. Then she noticed a bike out of the corner of her eye. The owner of said bike was currently battling another Pokémon trainer.

"Yo! Kid! Mind if I borrow your bike for a few seconds?" Leaf called out.

"What-?" the kid barely had enough time to turn around.

"Thank you! I'll bring it back soon, I promise!" Leaf called as she got on the bike.

"You better!" the kid sneered as she left.

Thanks to the bike, it was much easier for Leaf to keep up with Knuckles, and the two of them remained hot on Mesprit's trail.

"Mesprit!" Mesprit giggled and flew up a particularly steep hill. She remained there for several seconds and giggled at their efforts to keep up.

"Augh, forget it!" Leaf abandoned the bike for now; the slope was too steep to bike. She followed Lucario up the slope on foot. Mesprit flew down below the hill, giggling all the while. Once Leaf and Knuckles reached the top of the slope, Leaf could see Mesprit floating down below above a lake. There was a foreboding cave nestled into the other side of the mountain, and Mesprit flew inside.

"She went in there," Leaf pointed out, "But how are we supposed to follow her?"

Knuckles studied the area carefully before answering. He pointed to the other side of the lakeside, where there was a rocky ledge to climb down to the cave's entrance.

"Are you sure that's such a great idea?" Leaf looked doubtful. Lucario nodded and led the way. Leaf followed reluctantly.

Once they reached the rocky ledge, Lucario easily and deftly climbed down. He barely stirred a single rock, and he reached the bottom in a total of about ten seconds or less. Lucario waited patiently for Leaf to come down.

Leaf sank to her knees and cautiously peered over the edge. Lucario looked up at her curiously and wondered why she was hesitating. Leaf's vision blurred somewhat when she leaned slightly over the edge. This definitely was not a good idea.

"I can't do this, Knuckles," Leaf admitted, "I can't climb as well as you can. I'll fall and break my arm or something…."

Knuckles growled in response. He was certain that she could do it.

"I just can't do it," Leaf went on, "I'm too scared."

Knuckles then tried to tell her that he would catch her if she fell.

"Just forget about me," Leaf said finally, "Just look into that cave yourself and tell me what you see."

Knuckles sighed and obeyed. He walked in through the mouth of the cave and looked around carefully. There didn't appear to be any Pokémon inside this cavern, and the place looked entirely empty except for a large sign in the center of the room. Knuckles couldn't read the sign himself; he would need Leaf for that.

There were three passageways that lead off to different areas of the cave. Knuckles honed his Aura to sense where Mesprit had gone. He could sense her Aura far off into the cave, but he wasn't certain which passageway would lead to her directly. The entire cavern seemed like a labyrinth! It would be impossible to determine which way to go. Unless… Knuckles had a feeling that the sign was there to point out which route to take. It may not lead to Mesprit, but it had to lead to something of importance. Mesprit wouldn't have led them all the way here for nothing.

Knuckles emerged from the cave and tried to inform Leaf of the situation. He explained everything rather slowly, and he actually believed that Leaf had a vague understanding of what he was trying to say this time.

"So… you're saying you need my help to read this sign you found?" Leaf repeated to try to make everything clear. Lucario nodded.

Leaf sighed, "You just really want me to go down there, don't you? Well, fine; I think I've figured out a safer way to try this…"

She sent out Blathers, "Yellow?" he chirped loudly.

"Hey, you think you can help me get down there?" Leaf pointed down to where Lucario stood.

Blathers looked from there to here in a series of double takes. Eventually, his eyes grow wide with fright. He let out a long whistle as though her request was a long shot, "Sorry lady; you're on your own!"

"Irritating bird!" Leaf growled, "Forget it! You'd probably drop me anyway!"

"Please… don't hurt me!" Chatot wailed as he sobbed. Leaf recalled the Pokémon before he could say more. Although she had to admit, carrying her was no small feat for a tiny bird of his size. She didn't like to push him unless she had to, but this time he could have at least tried! Sometimes she didn't know why she even bothered teaching the annoying little bird Fly.

Meanwhile, Lucario had climbed back up the cliff side, and grunted to get her attention. Leaf turned around to see that Knuckles was waiting for her at the top of the rocky ledge that led down to the cave. He had moved over to make room for her, and he patted the empty space beside him to indicate that that was where she needed to be. He would guide her down the ledges, so that she wouldn't get hurt.

"Uh… I don't know…" Leaf said reluctantly. But, she was really curious about what was down there, and why Mesprit would decide to stay around there for so long.

"Fine; I'll do it, but I just really don't want to look down…" Leaf told him as she carefully lowered herself to get a good foothold. She then wrapped her right arm around Lucario's shoulders while he wrapped his left arm round her side. It was a painfully slow process for Leaf and Knuckles to climb down to the ground, mainly because Leaf was so nervous. But Knuckles was patient and tried his best to help.

Eventually, they made it down, and Leaf was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for the help. Now, where was this sign that you wanted me to read?"

Knuckles led the way inside and stood beside the sign once they were inside the cavern. Leaf blinked at the sudden lack of light; once she finally could see properly, she gazed about the cavern in awe.

"Man, this place is ancient! And it doesn't look like it was just your average cave either. Maybe there's treasure here!" Leaf said excitedly. This place vaguely reminded her of one of those ruins from ancient civilizations in the distant past.

"Anyway, let's see here…" Leaf looked at the sign thoughtfully, "It's really faded; I can't make out everything…" Leaf ran her fingers over the dusty inscription.

"But from what I _can_ read, it says that we have to reach…somewhere… before 30… somethings… are passed… or something like that…" Leaf shrugged. Knuckles looked disappointed. That wasn't very helpful at all.

"Ah, well, I guess the only thing we can do now is… try to find Mesprit," Leaf gazed at the three passageways, pondering which one to take.

"Which path should we take? You can use your aura to figure it out, right?" Leaf asked.

Lucario shook his head. This place was very strange, even his aura powers couldn't make sense of it.

"Well, let's just try this way," Leaf pointed to the leftmost passage, "I'm only guessing here," she admitted in response to Knuckles' shocked expression.

The two wandered down the passage to enter a new room with many smash-able rocks lined up in an odd pattern. There were three more passageways available to take.

"Uh… okay… Mesprit's not here, so… let's pick another way," Leaf said quietly. They chose the path furthest from the rock formations on the ground.

They kept walking through the caves, choosing passageways at random until they reached an area with a pillar in the center. Leaf walked up to the ancient pillar to get a better view of it. After seeing nothing but rocks in the last few areas, she was interested to see something new.

"Hey, there's something written here…" Leaf said thoughtfully. Somehow, this inscription seemed strange to her. It wasn't faded at all, and the numbers glowed slightly with a darkish hue. Knuckles growled quietly at the strange aura emanating from the markings.

"It says: '1' and '12'…" Leaf read aloud, "And that's all."

"I have no idea what it means..." Leaf shrugged, "But I guess we should keep going."

The two traveled throughout the cave for a while before they reached another area with a pillar in the center. Leaf found the numbers 2 and 19 on this one.

"What do you suppose these numbers mean?" Leaf wondered aloud. This place was so weird…

"Hey! Wait a second! 19? That's how many rooms we've been through so far!" Leaf realized.

"…I really hope that that's just a coincidence…" Leaf shivered and glanced over her shoulder, unable to shake off the eerie feeling she had in her stomach.

Knuckles honed his Aura, but he couldn't sense any other life forms here other than Mesprit.

"Let's just keep moving…" Leaf said although she wasn't certain if she was just walking in circles or actually accomplishing something here.

They kept going until they reached another pillar. This one had the numbers 3 and 23 inscribed on it. Leaf shuddered slightly. This was the third pillar they had encountered now, and they had been through twenty-three rooms to get here.

"This place is so strange," Leaf said quickly. She wanted to leave now. But Knuckles was interested in a familiar aura just ahead. He pointed frantically to one of the passageways.

"What…? Do you sense something?" Leaf asked and allowed herself to be led by her Pokémon in the desired direction.

"Whoa…" Leaf breathed once they entered the new area. Her voice reverberated across the stone walls in a strange fashion that was highly unfamiliar to her.

The whole area was covered in an odd light that was dark and dreary. All the shadows in the room almost looked as if they were alive. Leaf edged closer to Knuckles as apprehension set in.

The two quietly walked up onto the platform in the center of the room. In front of a large pillar similar to the rest, Leaf saw a bag of Stardust and a large, strange orb. The orb was glowing slightly in an odd hue. Leaf wanted to touch it, but she was afraid to do so. There was also a large, glowing portal of some sort on the ground in front of the orb.

Careful to avoid the disturbing portal, Leaf walked up to the pillar to read its inscription.

"'This is…'" Leaf read aloud, "'that where life sparkles… That where life has faded… A place where two worlds overlap…'"

Leaf looked apprehensively at the portal. She watched its swirling depths of blackness, and a feeling of foreboding overtook her, "I don't like this place…"

Lucario frowned at the portal. He could sense an odd, yet powerful aura emanating from the strange world this portal led to.

"Don't get too close to it," Leaf warned. Knuckles shook off his thoughts and looked down at the bag of Stardust. He picked it up and handed it to Leaf.

"Thanks. This stuff is worth a fortune," Leaf smiled for a moment as she forgot her fear. Then she focused her attention on the orb.

"Can you sense anything from that?" Leaf asked Knuckles as she pointed at it.

Lucario studied the object's aura carefully. It was saturated with the same aura he felt emanating from the portal.

"Really? Uh, is it safe to touch?" Leaf asked hesitantly. Knuckles nodded. He believed so.

Leaf hesitantly held out her index finger to touch the orb. Once she did, she closed her eyes and braced herself, half expecting a booby trap to be set off any second now. But nothing happened.

"Well, then," Leaf looked around carefully, "I wonder what this thing is?" she wondered aloud as she held it up to examine it.

'Maybe I should take it to Professor Rowan or something…' Leaf thought to herself, "I guess I'll just hang on to it for now," Leaf shrugged and put the mysterious orb in her bag. She would find out its significance later.

"…I wonder where that portal leads to…" Leaf gazed at the portal with a fearful look on her face. Lucario gazed at it as well with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Probably straight to-" Leaf was cut short by a creature's emergence from the portal, narrowly missing her face.

"Mesprit!"


	23. Chapter 23: Barry goes Berserk

"Mesprit!" a familiar voice sang out as the tiny creature emerged from the mysterious portal.

"Mesprit? What on earth were _you_ doing in there?" Leaf cried. Even her Lucario was stunned at that one. The mysterious Aura had been overpowering her familiar one.

Mesprit merely giggled and flew off just out of their reach. She went back through the passageway that they had come through earlier at a teasingly slow pace as if to tempt them. As if on cue, the startled Trainer and her Pokémon ran after Mesprit. But the two of them were completely taken aback when they somehow reentered the first room of the cave.

"What? That- that's not- That's not even possible!" Leaf stammered.

Mesprit giggled again and flew outside. By the time Leaf and Knuckles regained their senses and followed, she was already long gone.

"That… that place was just plain freaky!" Leaf couldn't believe what had just happened. Even Knuckles really couldn't argue with that statement.

"Oh yeah… we better get back soon, or that kid'll think I stole his bike…" she remembered with a sheepish look on her face. Knuckles sighed and shook his head.

Leaf then looked up the rocky incline with a worried look on her face. But Knuckles indicated to her that she only needed to hang on to him this time. He would do all the climbing himself.

"Um… okay… if you say so…" Leaf tentatively wrapped her arms around her Lucario's neck. But even with Leaf's added weight, Knuckles was still able to climb the slope easily.

"Thanks," she said with gratitude once her feet were back on solid ground again.

Knuckles nodded. They then hurried back to where the bike was left behind.

"Do you think you can sense that kid's Aura and lead me back to 'im?" Leaf asked her Lucario.

Knuckles honed his Aura powers to sense the child's location. Once he found it, he immediately took off for his direction. Leaf followed on the bike.

"Hey! There you are! I thought you weren't comin' back!" the kid from whom she stole the bike cried out with irritation. He was standing beside the kid he had battled earlier, and it appeared that that kid was finishing a new battle with another trainer.

"I'm so sorry," Leaf apologized, "I got held up longer than I had intended…"

"Whatever," the kid shrugged her off, "I'm just glad you didn't steal it!"

"I'd _never_ steal your bike," Leaf said indignantly.

"Yeah, sure," the kid said sarcastically.

"Hey, you wanna battle?" the kid's friend asked Leaf now that his battle seemed to be over.

"Sure, why not?" Leaf grinned.

"_You're_ a Pokémon trainer?" the first kid asked incredulously.

"Yeah… what of it?" Leaf raised an eyebrow.

"But, you're… you're an old lady!"

"WHAT!" Leaf raged.

"Dude, we gotta get outta here!" the third kid exclaimed, "Remember how mad Mom got yesterday?"

"Oops; yeah, that's right…" the second kid recalled. He then turned to Leaf, "Sorry, but I don't have enough time to pummel your Pokémon to the earth right now, so…"

"Oh, please," Leaf rolled her eyes.

"Bye, old lady!" the three of them shouted as they ran away (except for the first kid-he fled on his bike.)

"_Old_? How _dare_ you call me _old_!" Leaf shrieked after them.

They just laughed, like the bratty little kids they were.

"I can't believe the audacity of those brats!" Leaf growled. She glanced at Knuckles for his opinion on the matter and was surprised to see her Pokémon silently fuming. He looked pretty angry, and blue, pulsating Aura was swirling about his clenched fists.

"Uh, Knuckles? Are you okay…?" Leaf asked tentatively.

Knuckles snapped back to reality and looked startled to see Leaf's slightly frightened face.

"Were you angry at those kids or something?" Leaf guessed, "…I mean, they're just kids. Who really cares what they think anyway? No need to get all bent out of shape over it…"

Knuckles looked downward and nodded slightly, seeming to accept that as a more suitable response to the situation.

Leaf bit her lip slightly. Maybe she shouldn't overreact like that in front of Knuckles. He seemed to be highly susceptible to what she was feeling. He took her feelings a lot more seriously than she even did…

"Well, it's getting late; we should find some place to crash for the night…" she said finally.

The next morning, Leaf awoke to find her Lucario staring over her with a look of concern on his face.

"…What are you doing, Knuckles? Go away," she said groggily, "I'm trying to sleep…"

"Um… Excuse me? How do you know my name?" Knuckles blinked at her.

"How the heck would I _not_ know your name? You're my Pokémon, blast it!" Leaf stopped short when she realized just who she was talking to, "…Wait a second! When did you learn to talk?"

Lucario folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, "You're the strangest Riolu that I've ever seen…"

"Riolu? What are you talking about?" Leaf looked down at her hands and was more than shocked to discover that they were now blue paws. Then she just began screaming and generally going hysterical, refusing to stop even though she was obviously driving Knuckles crazy.

Leaf awoke with a start and was relieved to find that she had hands instead of paws. Who even heard of such a weird dream…? Turning into a Pokémon… That was just freaky.

She sat up with a yawn and glanced over at her Lucario. She wasn't quite certain if he was actually meditating over there or if he was actually asleep. Leaf yawned again and decided to look around in her bag for her hairbrush. At the sound of scuffling, Knuckles opened an eye.

"Hey there Knux," Leaf smiled at him, "I was thinking that we should be movin' on. I want to make it to Pastoria City today."

Knuckles nodded in agreement.

After a quick breakfast, the two headed off to do just that. The only problem was… Leaf was completely lost.

"According to the map, we need to go this way…" she pointed up ahead.

Knuckles frowned and moved in closer in an attempt to get a closer look at the map himself. When he did so, Leaf was a little surprised to notice that Knuckles had grown several inches taller overnight once again. He was already nearing her shoulders. At this rate, he'll be taller than her!

"See? Right here… _That's_ where we need to be, and we go _this_ way to get there!" Leaf insisted after he had taken a good look.

Lucario shook his head and growled his disapproval. That was nonsense. No wonder she was always lost. He bounded several paces ahead of her and frantically pointed in the right direction.

"No way, Knuckles. No offense, but you can't even read a map," Leaf was about to say more, but she stopped short when she heard a sudden crash.

At that moment, a blond male came running out of the bushes and crashed right into Knuckles. The two were knocked off their feet from the impact, and they fell to the ground in a tangled heap.

"Geez! Why don't you keep a closer eye on your Pokémon, huh?" the guy sneered once he rose to his feet.

"Excuse me?_ You're_ the one who crashed into my Lucario," Leaf shot back.

"Arrgh!" the dude flailed around in utter irritation, "That's IT! I'm _fining_ you!"

"_Fining_ me?" Leaf repeated in disbelief, "What, are you some kind of _librarian_ or something?"

"Real cute!" he glared at her for exactly three seconds, and then,"Arrgh!" the kid flailed around violently once again, "I don't have _time_ for this! Let's battle! _Now_!"

"Uh… sure…" Leaf raised an eyebrow. This kid was a real piece of work…

"Tell me, Lucario Woman! What is your name, anyway?"

"…Leaf…" she responded, somewhat stunned by his crazed demeanor.

"Leaf…? _LEAF_?" the kid began to laugh manically at her name, "What kind of a name is that?"

Knuckles began to snarl angrily.

"Hey, chill out, okay?" Leaf nudged her Pokémon to calm him down, "Remember what I said earlier about flying off the handle…"

The kid finally calmed down and finished with his laughing fit. He had been too busy laughing to even notice that Knuckles had been ready to pounce on him and attack.

"Well, my name's Barry," he said with a grin.

"Berry?" Leaf repeated, "Wow, that's original…"

"Rarrgh! It's BARRY not BERRY! Now are you gonna battle me or not?"

"Yeah, I feel like putting a noob in his place today," Leaf smirked as she held out a Pokéball.

"Go, Staraptor!" Barry shouted.

"Go Popuri!" Leaf called out.

"Use Wing Attack!" Barry shouted again.

"Use Sing," Leaf said as if she were bored.

Staraptor prepared to slice Popuri with his mighty wing, but he fell asleep before he could actually act on his attack.

"Now just keep using Steel Wing," Leaf ordered. Popuri smashed the Staraptor with her wings over and over again.

"Raaarrrgh!" Barry flailed around angrily, "Get up! Get up! GET UUUP!"

Staraptor awoke with a start and dodged the last of Popuri's Steel Wing attacks.

"Use Endeavor!" Barry shrieked. Staraptor started sweating furiously, and Popuri's damage magically became equivalent to Staraptor's.

"What! What kind of a stupid attack was that?" Leaf was incredulous.

"It's not stupid! It's to-tally amazing," Barry said with a strange tone in his voice as if he were trying to be really cool.

"Whatever! Popuri! Use your Dragon Pulse!" Leaf cried.

Popuri's attack unfortunately missed the Staraptor.

"Hah, hah!" Barry smirked, "Try another Wing Attack!"

"Dragon Pulse again!" Leaf ordered. Both attacks hit their targets, but Staraptor was the one who fainted.

"Rrrargh! Don't even THINK you're gonna win!" Barry shrieked.

"Whatever," Leaf rolled her eyes and recalled her Pokémon.

"I'll just catch another one someday," Barry declared as he recalled his Staraptor, "I'll get one that's tougher, and then you'll _never_ be able to beat me!"

"You have to _train_ your Pokémon, noob," Leaf rolled her eyes again, "Otherwise they don't get any stronger…"

"I'm FINING you!"

"Go, Blaze," Leaf cried and merely ignored Barry's outburst.

"Go! Roserade!"

Leaf blinked at the Pokémon before her. She had never seen it before, but it was clearly a grass type, "You're _kidding_ me!"

"I don't need a type advantage to defeat the likes of you," Barry scoffed.

"Amateur!" Leaf fumed, "I'll make you _eat_ those words!"

"Heh, we'll see about that!" Barry smirked and tried to act cool again, "Use Vine Whip!"

Blaze took the attack, but it obviously wasn't very effective at all.

"Show them your Fire Blast!" Leaf smirked. Roserade was so stunned that Blaze had taken the attack head on that she didn't attempt to dodge Blaze's attack. Thanks to this oversight, the Pokémon fainted.

"NOOOOOO! Roserade!" Barry screamed.

Leaf exchanged glances with her Flareon and shrugged. Seriously, what did he expect?

"Okay! You _won't _have an easy time with _this_ Pokémon!" Barry announced as he let loose a large, penguin-like Pokémon.

"Wow, what's that?" Leaf asked.

Barry blinked. Then he flailed around, "You mean to tell me that you've _never_ seen an Empoleon before? _Geez_! Get a Pokédex or something!"

"My Pokédex has utterly failed me, so I gave up on that long ago…"

"Whatever! Empoleon, use Hydro Cannon!"

"Augh! You've gotta be joking me! Hydro Cannon already? Look out, Flareon!" Leaf cried out.

Blaze did her best to dodge, but she was hit hard.

"You okay?" Leaf asked with concern.

Blaze shook off the water soaking her fur and nodded.

"Okay, use this opportunity to use Fire Blast again!"

Blaze's attack hit the still-charging Empoleon square in the stomach. It took considerable damage.

"Okay! Use Flamethrower!" Leaf said for her next attack. This attack nicked the remarkably lithe Empoleon.

"Use Bubblebeam!" Barry ordered.

"Bubblebeam?" Leaf repeated with disbelief. What a lame attack… but it was enough to cause Blaze to faint.

"Sorry about that, Blaze," Leaf said as she recalled her Pokémon, "Now, get in there, Knuckles, and take that oversized penguin out!"

"HEY! How _DARE_ you diss my star Pokémon like that!" Barry shrieked.

"Get over it," Leaf rolled her eyes.

"Use HYDRO CANNON!" Barry shouted.

"Uh-oh! Look out!" Leaf said frantically; she wasn't expecting this kid to use that attack again so soon. Knuckles leaped into the air to avoid the incoming hit. Luckily, the attack just grazed his leg.

"Great!" Leaf grinned, "Now use your Force Palm attack!"

Knuckles sprinted up to Empoleon and unleashed his attack. It worked well, and it actually looked like it caused a lot more damage than Leaf had expected.

"WAUUGH! EMPOLEON!" Barry shouted and flailed around.

"Dang… Nice job…" Leaf was impressed. Maybe Empoleon was also a Steel type as well as a Water type…

Knuckles smirked, happy to prove his strength and impress his trainer.

"Empoleon! Use-! Oh, darn it! You're still charging!" Barry was freaking out.

"Okay, Knuckles, use your Metal Claw next," At this point, Leaf wasn't worried about Barry winning the battle. She now simply wanted to test her theory that Empoleon was a Steel type.

Knuckles could only wonder what Leaf was planning as he unleashed the attack she indicated. As Leaf had guessed, the attack wasn't that effective at all, even though it was a direct hit.

"Okay! Now's our chance! Use Bubblebeam on that Lucario!" Barry cried.

"Is that your best?" Leaf was about to call out an attack, but Knuckles beat her to the punch by using a new move.

The Lucario placed his paws together and promptly pulled them apart to reveal a glowing bone between his paws. Knuckles used this bone to knock some sense into Empoleon. Unfortunately for Barry, that was all she wrote for Empoleon, and the Pokémon fainted.

"NO!" Barry shrieked, "How could your STUPID Pokémon be able to defeat my awesome ones?"

"Hmmph, I dunno; maybe because they're talented…" Leaf shrugged. Her Lucario twirled his bone dramatically before it disappeared into thin air.

"Don't even think for a SECOND that you're tougher than I am!" Barry snapped at her after he recalled Empoleon.

"I don't think; I know," Leaf shot back with a small smile, even though it was the oldest line in the book.

"Okay, so you MIGHT have beaten me THIS time, but you'll NEVER be tough enough to beat Paul!"

"Yep, typical noob response after being utterly defeated… 'My friends are still tougher than you!' Yeah, I've heard it all before…" Leaf shook her head.

"And on top of THAT, you _still _won't be able to stand a chance against me because _I'm_ going to catch even tougher Pokémon!" Barry cried, "The only reason you beat me today is cuz you have strong Pokémon! If I had strong Pokémon, I'd be UNSTOPPABLE!"

"Like I said before, _any_ Pokémon can be tough as long as you train it properly…" Leaf pointed out with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I'm _outta_ here! I've _wasted_ ENOUGH time here!" Barry said frantically and ran off into the woods.

Leaf turned and was about to say something to her Lucario about his new Bone Rush attack when Knuckles suddenly grunted to draw her attention to something he picked up from the ground.

"Hey! That's a badge case! Oh, I bet it belongs to that Barry kid…" Leaf realized.

"Hey! Barry! You dropped your badges!" she cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her shout. But Barry was too busy running away to listen to her.

"Blast it… He can't hear me…" Leaf then took the case from Lucario and threw it as far as she could. Unfortunately for Barry, it hit him square in the back and knocked him to the ground.

"Oops…" Leaf covered her mouth with her hand. Whether she was hiding her shock or amusement is a mystery to this day…

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Barry raged, utterly freaking out.

"You forgot your badges…?" Leaf called out in response.

"WHAT! So now you want to STEAL my badges? I'm FINING you!"

"If I wanted to steal them, I wouldn't have given them back...!" she pointed out, "…Moron," she added in an undertone.

"Whatever; let's just get out of here," Leaf said to Knuckles. The two walked away while Barry was still shouting, freaking out, and generally causing an uproar over what she had done to him.

oOoOoOo

Note: You know, it's actually pretty fun making up crazy dreams for Leaf. I want to make up a dream for Knuckles soon…


	24. Chapter 24: Footsteps

"So, you learned Bone Rush huh?" Leaf smiled at Lucario as they walked further away from the shrieking Barry. Knuckles nodded in response. "That's great! Then I guess you can erase Quick Attack from your memory now if you want to…" Lucario considered for a moment before he agreed.

"Great; so where are we anyway?" Leaf wondered aloud. She could see a resort town or something like that off in the distance. Knuckles shielded his eyes from the sun with his paw and squinted to see better.

"It looks like a town or something, but it doesn't really seem like it's on the map…" Leaf stretched out her map and studied it for a few moments before she decided to just give up on it.

"Whatever; let's just go check it out!" Leaf decided and ran the rest of the way there with Knuckles on her heels.

"Welcome…" a well-dressed man standing on the outskirts of town greeted them with a proper bow. When he looked up, however, he was surprised to see a casually dressed girl standing before him with a particularly scruffy and dusty Lucario, "…Erm… May I _help _you, young lady?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm lookin' for Pastoria City…" Leaf scratched her head, "Do you happen to know where that is?"

"Why, yes, Pastoria is several miles due west. I suggest that you travel southward for now and then gradually head west."

"…Which way is south?" Leaf asked.

The man readjusted his glasses, "That way, young miss…"

"Thanks!" Leaf grinned and headed into town. The man just gaped at the strange girl.

"Erm, I must ask you to refrain from allowing that filthy beast to walk around this town unfettered. It just isn't… proper."

"Sorry, can't hear you…!" Leaf said brightly.

"Miss! Please!" the gentleman cried.

"Run!" Leaf urged Lucario. They ran off before the man could any hopes of catching up to them.

"Phew… One thing… about fancy people, they… never can… chase you… when you run away," Leaf laughed as she paused to catch her breath. Lucario smirked a little and then took notice of a nearby pool. He was curious as to its purpose, and he walked over to take a closer look. Once he did, he was surprised to see his own reflection for the first time.

"Wow, it's beautiful here…" Leaf breathed as she took in the scenery beyond the resort town. She assumed that her Lucario was still beside her, so she turned to address him. But much to her surprise, a miniature sized Lucario was standing beside her in Knuckles' place!

"KNUCKLES!" Leaf gasped as she held up the little Lucario, "What _happened _to you?"

"Ra!" Knuckles grunted loudly from where he stood several paces away from her.

"Oh…" Leaf relaxed when she realized her actual Lucario was safe AND normal sized, "But then, who are you?" Leaf asked the little Lucario in her hands. The little Lucario giggled.

"Oh, yay! You found Mini Ditt!" an unfamiliar voice cried out.

"Huh?" Leaf blinked.

"Thanks! You found my Mini Ditt!" a girl with blue pigtails beamed at Leaf.

"You mean this… baby Lucario?" Leaf asked.

"Yup… Well he's not really a Lucario…" the girl smiled, "Show 'em Mini Ditt!"

"Ditto!" the baby Lucario squeaked happily and transformed back to its true form, that of a Ditto.

"Oh… Now I get it… I guess…" Leaf stared at the weird Ditto in her arms.

"You see, I train Ditto to perform in my show," the girl explained. "That one right there is named Mini Ditt because all his transformations are small sized!

"But hey, where are my manners? My name is Duplica! What's yours?"

"Uh, I'm Leaf," Leaf replied as she handed the Ditto back to his trainer.

"It's nice to meet you!" Duplica smiled. "My performance isn't until tonight, but I'll show you a sneak peek if you want. It's the least I can do since you found my Mini Ditt!"

"Really? That sounds great," Leaf agreed. She wondered what other strange Ditto this girl had.

"Okay! Mini Ditt, return!" Duplica recalled Mini Ditt and let out another Ditto that didn't have a nickname.

"Okay, Ditto, show them your classic transformation! Transform into Lucario!" Duplica instructed.

"Ditto!" Ditto squeaked as he transformed into Lucario. The proportions and everything were all completely correct, but… this Lucario had a Ditto face!

"Wow, that is… so weird," Leaf grinned. Knuckles blinked furiously.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Duplica recalled Ditto and sent out another Ditto named Massive Ditt.

When this Ditto transformed, he looked like a hopelessly obese Lucario.

"Man, it's weird to see Lucario fat…" Leaf chuckled. Knuckles just gaped.

"Now for the grand finale!" Duplica grinned as she let out her next Ditto named Mega Ditt.

This time, when Duplica asked Ditto to transform into Lucario, Mega Ditt transformed into a huge, Onix sized Lucario.

"Now you see why all my performances are held outdoors," Duplica grinned.

"Waa! He's HUGE!" Leaf cried. Even Knuckles was freaked out by seeing a massive version of himself.

"DITTO!" Mega Ditt laughed in his low and gruff sounding voice. Who knew a Ditto could sound like _that_?

"Wow… I have a Ditto back in Kanto with Professor Oak, but he's nowhere near as unique as yours are," Leaf said.

"Thanks," Duplica giggled.

"I'd love to stick around and catch your show, but I've really gotta get going…" Leaf said quickly when she noticed several aristocrats glaring at her.

"That's okay."

"Good luck with your show!" Leaf waved as she left with Knuckles.

"Thanks! Bye!" Duplica waved.

"DITTOOO!" Mega Ditt cried, still in giant Lucario form.

Leaf and Lucario hurried out of the city before they could get kicked out. It was nice meeting Duplica, but hanging out with rich people glaring at you all day wasn't exactly Leaf's idea of a good time. She needed to get moving on anyway.

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach a shoreline beach. Leaf inhaled the fresh salty air and smiled, "It's nice here, huh?" she looked back at Lucario who appeared to be fascinated by something on the ground.

"Huh? What's up? Did you find something?" Leaf asked. She walked over to her Pokémon and saw that he was staring at one of the footprints she made in the sand.

"Dude, that's just a footprint…" Leaf told him. Apparently, Lucario had never seen them before.

"See? You make more every time you step on sand," Leaf explained quickly, "Anyway… we should keep going; I don't think Pastoria's much further from here."

After a few minutes of walking along the beach, Leaf and Knuckles ran into a man standing outside his house, "Hello, there, young Trainer!"

"Hi," Leaf smiled.

"I'm Dr. Footstep! I can tell how your Pokémon feel about you from their footprints!"

Leaf blinked, "You're joking…."

"Nope! Let your Lucario walk in front of me, right here… and I will determine how well it likes you as a trainer!"

"Uh, sure, go ahead, Knuckles…" Leaf shrugged. Can't hurt to try, right?

After Lucario walked past, Dr. Footstep immediately took to the ground with a magnifying glass in hand, "Hmm…" he peered at the footprint carefully like it was an ancient artifact or something.

Knuckles looked at Leaf doubtfully, and she just shrugged again.

Dr. Footstep immediately jumped back up to his full height, and he was beaming, "Judging by Lucario's footprint, I'd say that you and your Pokémon have complete trust in each other. You and your Lucario make a great team!"

Leaf looked over at Lucario, and he grinned back at her. Somehow, she didn't really feel like she deserved Lucario's trust this quickly. She hadn't done anything special at all…

"Um, how long does it typically take for a trainer and Pokémon to develop a bond that strong?" Leaf asked Dr. Footstep.

"Hmm… I'd say… a month or two maybe…" Dr. Footstep responded after careful thought.

"…Well… what if I told you that my Riolu egg only hatched less than a week ago…?"

"A week?" Dr. Footstep repeated in shock, "Wow! That's amazing! You must be a great trainer!"

"You see… the thing is… I don't think I've really done anything special or anything… I mean… I'm just…"

"Look, trainer," Dr. Footstep said with seriousness in his voice, "Forget about being 'normal'. Being normal is completely overrated. The fact is: you've become great friends with your Pokémon, and you should be proud of it!"

"Yeah, I think you're right," Leaf agreed. So what if Lucario had become her friend quicker than your average Pokémon? They'd been through a lot in these past few days. It was a good thing that they were fast friends!

"Now…" Dr. Footstep continued, "Do you have any other Pokémon you'd like me to see?"

"Sure," Leaf grinned and let out Vegeta. Of course, Dr. Footstep deemed them good friends as well. The same went for Swablu and Flareon. Blathers, however, wasn't quite the best of friends with Leaf just yet. It did make some sense though because he was her newest Pokémon, aside from Lucario and Azelf of course.

"Any other Pokémon?" Dr. Footstep asked.

"No," Leaf said quickly. She didn't notice, but Knuckles looked a little disappointed by her lie. How long was she going to keep Azelf a secret from the world?

"Well, then I owe you four ribbons! Let me go inside and get them; just wait here!"

"Huh?" Leaf blinked. Was he going to give her Contest ribbons or something?

Dr. Footstep came back out with four ribbons as promised. They didn't look like any Contest Ribbon she'd ever seen before…

"Uh, thanks," Leaf said to him.

"No problem, and good luck on your journey!" Dr. Footstep waved.

"Bye!" Leaf waved and walked onward to Pastoria City with Knuckles.

As soon as they stepped foot into the city, Leaf immediately took notice of the Safari Game.

"Oh, wow! They have a Safari Zone just like in Kanto! I HAVE to check it out!" Leaf said excitedly and dragged Knuckles along.

"Welcome to the Great Marsh!" one of receptionists said to Leaf, "Is this your first time at the Safari Game?"

"No, I've done it before, just not here in Sinnoh," Leaf told her, "Oh… um, is it okay if Lucario follows me around while I catch Pokémon?"

The receptionist looked at Knuckles, "Uh, I suppose it's okay as long as Lucario doesn't attack any of the wild Pokémon you encounter. That would be against the rules."

"Right. I'll make sure he doesn't. So, how much does it cost here in Sinnoh?" Leaf asked.

Leaf paid for her safari game and received thirty safari balls in exchange. When Leaf walked outside, she was not excited anymore.

"What!" she was incredulous, "This is a giant SWAMP!" Sure enough, the entire place was dreary, foggy, and covered in mud, one of Leaf's least favorite things.

"This isn't right! It's supposed to be a SAFARI zone, not a MUD hole!"

Knuckles just shrugged. He didn't see anything wrong with the place.

Leaf walked up to the edge of the grass just before the mud. She winced slightly as she looked down at the deep, slimy mud just ahead of her. She couldn't will herself to go any further. Knuckles grunted loudly.

"What? Do you sense something?" Leaf asked.

Lucario pointed at the solid ground not too far ahead. And suddenly, a Kecleon appeared from out of the bushes.

"A Kecleon!" Leaf gushed, "I've always wanted one of those…!"

"Um…" Leaf looked down at the mud before her with uncertainty. She would have to cross it to get to Kecleon, "Well… here goes nothing…"

Leaf hesitantly stepped into the mud. She couldn't find a solid foothold; how deep was this blasted mud? Was there _any_ solid ground below this disgusting mud? Completely grossed out, Leaf tried to pull her foot back out of the mud, but her foot was stuck!

"Aah! I'm stuck!" Leaf cried. Knuckles shook his head. But, he walked over to help his trainer. He seized her leg and tugged.

"No, wait! You're gonna-!" Leaf warned, but she was too late. Her leg was freed, but her boot was left behind in the mud.

"My shoe! My shoe's still stuck!" Leaf said frantically, trying to balance on one foot.

Knuckles sighed and retrieved the boot after much difficulty.

"Thanks, Knuckles," Leaf said gratefully when she finally got her shoe back on.

Startled by all the noise, Kecleon ran off.

"No! Kecleon! He's getting away!" Leaf cried.

Lucario ran after Kecleon, paying no heed to the mud. But then he got trapped in the deep mud just like Leaf's boot. Knuckles thrashed violently in the mud to try and get free.

"Oh no! Knuckles!" Leaf cried, "…Don't worry… I'll… save you…" Leaf said hesitantly as she stared at the slimy and disgusting mud before her. She would brave that nasty slime to save Knuckles! She had to!

Leaf closed her eyes when she took the first step. Once she had a good enough foothold, she willed herself to take the next step. It was a painfully slow process for Leaf to finally reach solid ground. Once she did, she looked around wildly for Knuckles. But he was already gone. He must have saved himself…

Suddenly, Leaf heard rustling in the bushes nearby, "Knuckles…?" she asked tentatively.

There was no response. "Knuckles?" Leaf asked louder and peered curiously at the bush.

"WOOPER!" a Pokémon suddenly shrieked and popped out from the bush, startling Leaf. She screamed in surprise and fell backwards.

At the sound of her scream, Knuckles quickened his return. Kecleon had gotten away from him, and he was on his way back.

"Wooper?" Wooper looked confused and edged closer to Leaf to see what had frightened her so much. Of course, it COULDN'T have been him….

"Oh, that's okay, Wooper," Leaf said after she gathered herself, "You just surprised me is all…"

"Wooper?" Wooper edged closer.

"No! Stay away!" Leaf implored rather frantically. The Wooper was COVERED in slime and mud.

"Raaar!" Knuckles returned and swiftly kicked Wooper, knocking him several feet away.

"Geez, Knuckles! No need to be so violent you know!" Leaf exclaimed.

Knuckles shrugged. Too late now.

"Well, did you find Kecleon?" Leaf wondered. Lucario shook his head.

"Well… uh… I guess we should… try to get back now…" Leaf suggested. She hesitantly stepped into the mud in order to head back. Lucario sighed. This was going to take forever…


	25. Chapter 25: Riley Returns!

Knuckles sighed with annoyance. It was going to take forever for Leaf to cross that mud… So, Knuckles bounded over to Leaf and promptly tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Aah! Knuckles! What are you doing?" Leaf cried. Knuckles was almost as dirty as the blasted mud itself thanks to him wandering around in it earlier.

Knuckles didn't reply and just dropped her to the ground once they were out of the mud.

"…Ouch!" Leaf glared at Lucario, "What the heck was that for? Next time you suddenly decide to pick me up like that, warn me first!"

Knuckles shrugged. He was only trying to help her across the mud…

"…Maybe we should just leave," Leaf sighed after he pulled her back to her feet, "I don't think I can stand it much longer…"

Knuckles seemed to agree. This safari game was going nowhere fast…

So Leaf and Knuckles walked back to the entrance to end their Safari Game.

"'Ey thar! Yer game's not over yet!" some lady standing by the entrance reminded Leaf.

"Yeah, but I think I'm going to call it quits for today…" Leaf said sheepishly.

"'Ey, looky! I gots me a Croagunk!" a voice said suddenly.

Leaf turned around to see a young boy holding a particularly muddy Croagunk, "Ya wanna pet 'im miss?" he asked.

"Waaugh! Nooo! Keep it away from me!" Leaf cried.

"Yer loss! I'm-a gonna catch me some more!" the kid said and ran off.

"Y'all can rinse off over thar," the lady from before pointed to a few hoses at the back of the main building.

"Great, that sounds good," Leaf smiled, and immediately went over to wash off her shoes.

Once she finished, she turned to Lucario, "Your turn now," she said and held the hose above Knuckles' head so he could take a shower.

Once he was clean too, the two of them left the Great Marsh once and for all.

"Well… I guess now we should look for the Pokémon Gym or something…" Leaf said to her Lucario.

"Leaf?" a familiar voice asked from behind her.

"Huh?" Leaf turned around, "_Riley_?"

"Hi, Leaf," Riley smiled, "I'm glad to see that you're alright…"

"What are you doing here?" Leaf blinked, "I thought you were on Iron Island…"

"Things were resolved back on Iron Island; I'll tell you all about it later if you want."

"Well, that's good. I'd love to hear how everything turned out… but that still doesn't explain why you're here in Pastoria City," Leaf pointed out.

"Well…" Riley began, "actually, I came because I was worried about you… I hadn't heard from you in several days… and what with that attack on Lake Valor…"

"Sorry, I was held up for a while, so I wasn't able to charge my laptop and-" Leaf broke in somewhat sheepishly, but then suddenly looked taken aback, "Whoa, wait a second… did you say attack on Lake Valor?"

"Yes, it happened last night. Haven't you heard about it?" he asked.

"No, what happened?"

Riley sighed, "Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do…"

"Yeah, I think we do…" Leaf said thoughtfully and looked at his Lucario at his side. Both Riley's and her Lucario were looking at each other curiously.

Riley noticed as well, "Hmm, looks like that egg I gave you turned out really well," he said with a smile as he looked at Knuckles. Knuckles looked surprised to hear that.

"Yup, his name is Knuckles," Leaf said proudly and wrapped her arm around him.

"Oh, yeah, that's right," Leaf said to Knuckles when she noticed the surprised look on his face, "Riley here is the one who gave me your egg."

"So," Leaf looked at Riley, "that means your Lucario is Knuckles' father, right?"

"That's right," Riley nodded. Knuckles and Riley's Lucario looked at each other with new meaning in their eyes.

"Hey, my Lucario is taller than yours," Leaf noticed.

"I suppose that can happen sometimes…"

"That means mine is tougher," Leaf teased.

"We'll see about that," Riley said with a slight grin on his face, "But, I must say, I'm surprised that your Lucario was able to evolve so quickly… He must care about you a lot."

"Yeah… he likes me," Leaf agreed, but she looked confused, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well…" Riley had a feeling that she didn't know this already, "A Riolu only evolves into a Lucario once it has established a strong bond of trust with its trainer."

"Oh, really?" Leaf looked at her Pokémon, "I remember that was how my Espeon evolved a long time ago… But, I didn't think Riolu evolved the same way… But it makes perfect sense now…"

"And here I thought my Riolu was special or something!" Leaf added sheepishly.

"Every Pokémon is special," Riley said sagely.

"Yeah, I know; you're right," Leaf grinned. And then her stomach growled loud enough for even Riley to hear. Guu~!

"Maybe we should stop for lunch," he suggested while Leaf laughed sheepishly.

"I can agree to that!"

After the two of them found something to eat, the trainers and their Pokémon found an unused picnic table to eat on. All of the restaurants were packed at this hour, and they didn't want to wait around for a seat.

"Alright, Riley, so what's up with this attack on Lake Valor? What happened exactly?" Leaf asked after she had swallowed her first bite of food.

"I've got the news report right here," Riley pulled out a newspaper from his bag and handed it to Leaf.

Leaf took it and gasped when she saw the pictures. Hundreds of Magikarp were photographed flopping uselessly in the remains of what used to be Lake Valor. The entire lake had been blown up and drained of its pure water. The island cavern where Azelf had once lived was now nonexistent, having been blown to smithereens.

"This is terrible!" Leaf cried. Knuckles couldn't read the words, but from what he could see from the pictures alone, things were pretty bad. All those Magikarp that he had seen not too long ago were now without a home… Knuckles snarled with anger. Those Magikarp had been completely defenseless.

"This happened because Team Galactic couldn't find Azelf…" Leaf said quietly and held her head in her hands.

"Leaf…?" Riley prompted quietly. Leaf just sighed and didn't look up.

"…What happened when you went to Lake Valor? Did you find Azelf?" Riley asked.

"Yes," Leaf admitted, "I found Azelf before Team Galactic. Right now …Azelf is in a pokéball in my backpack. He's my Pokémon now…"

"You… captured Azelf?" Riley was surprised.

Leaf sighed heavily. There was a lot she needed to tell Riley. She then told him everything, even about Team Galactic tricking her and that they would have succeeded if it weren't for Lucario's evolution. It was all a long story, but Riley listened carefully. He could tell that Leaf had been through a lot so far, and it didn't seem like things were going to get much easier for her from here on out.

Riley couldn't think of anything to say after Leaf finished speaking, "…I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you…" he said finally.

Leaf looked at him. Then, she smirked slightly, "I think you were, in a way," she pointed to Knuckles with her thumb.

Riley looked at her Pokémon with surprise in his eyes.

"If it weren't for Knuckles, I doubt I'd even be sitting here right now, and I think the same might go for Azelf too," Leaf continued.

Riley didn't know what to say.

"Besides," Leaf pressed on, "You were needed on Iron Island… am I right?"

"You are," Riley finally admitted.

"So, what happened out there anyway? You said it was all resolved?"

"That's right. Iron Island and all of the Pokémon living there are finally at peace. But it wasn't easy to get there…" Riley began. He then proceeded to tell her of all that had happened on Iron Island.

"Turns out," Riley continued, "I ran into three young trainers named Ash, Dawn, and Brock. They helped me considerably when it came to warding off Team Galactic. Together with the help of Lucario, we discovered Ruins that Team Galactic had dug up. These ruins were even made up of the same compounds as the Veilstone City meteorites…

"Then we realized Team Galactic was using a strange device near the ruins for an unknown purpose. This device was what was resonating to cause the steel types to go berserk. Lucario was using his Aura to try to figure out what they were up to, but he was corrupted by the negative energy produced by the machine… In other words, Lucario went berserk just like all the other steel types…"

"Oh, no," Leaf broke in. This was too much; she never expected Riley's Lucario to fall prey to the same plight as the rest of the steel types…

"So, Lucario went crazy and turned on you?" Leaf cried. That would be pretty scary.

"Frankly, yes," Riley answered. He opened his mouth to continue, and Leaf was on the edge of her seat, eager to find out what happened next.

Suddenly, Leaf felt something slimy and cold touch her leg. She screamed as she jumped up from the table and scrambled several paces away.

"What happened?" Riley looked alarmed and got up as well. Both Lucario jumped up out of their seats, ready to attack whatever came out from under that table.

"Something slimy touched my leg!" Leaf managed to say.

But… it was only a Croagunk that slowly crept out from under the table.

Leaf sighed in relief, "It was only a Croagunk…"

Riley and his Lucario relaxed, but Knuckles looked as though he wanted to destroy that Croagunk. His Aura was flaring.

"Chill out, Knuckles!" Leaf said frantically, "It's just a stupid Croagunk! Who cares?"

Knuckles wasn't really listening. He glared angrily at the Croagunk and was about to unleash an attack.

"Knuckles! Stop it!" Leaf said again. Her Lucario's temper wasn't something she wanted to deal with right now.

"Leaf," Riley said quietly but clearly. Leaf looked at him, and he jerked his head in the direction of the path leading out of town. There were two men approaching, and they looked vaguely familiar…

"Team Galactic…" Riley said to her, "You might want to make yourself scarce for the moment…"

Leaf gasped when she realized who it was. She pulled off her white hat and yanked hard on her Lucario's arm. It was time to get out of here, whether Knuckles liked it or not. Once Knuckles finally got the picture, the two of them headed to a farther picnic bench. Knuckles sat on the ground, and Leaf blocked him mostly from view. She kept her back turned in an effort to conceal her identity as well as she could given the situation.

Once they were hidden well enough, Riley focused his attention on the two newcomers. They were arguing quietly until they caught sight of Croagunk.

"Hey, Slippy! It's you! What are you doing here?" one of the grunts cried.

"Does this Pokémon belong to you?" Riley asked them.

"Who're _you_?" the second grunt asked bluntly.

"I'll have you know that this Croagunk shouldn't be wandering around alone like that," Riley just continued talking and ignored his question.

"Oh yeah? What're _you _gonna do about it?" the first grunt asked threateningly.

"Perhaps you should take better care to watch over your Pokémon in the future. I'm sure they'll become more obedient if you take care of them well," Riley continued his lecture.

"Shut up! We didn't come here ta listen ta you flap your gums!" the second grunt growled.

"Really? Then what _did _you come here for?" Riley asked smoothly.

"C'mon. We don't have time to deal with punks like him. You heard the boss, we gotta save our Pokémon's energy until it's time," the first grunt grunted and recalled his Slippy. The second grunt just growled at Riley before the two left.

Riley and Lucario watched them leave. They were both remotely surprised to turn around and see Leaf walking straight past them out of town with Knuckles on her heels.

"Where are you going, Leaf?" Riley asked.

"I have to get out of here, Riley; I'm sorry, I just can't stick around here any longer…" Leaf said without looking at him. She adjusted her hat on her head and started to walk away again.

"Wait!" Riley said suddenly. Leaf stopped, but didn't turn around to face him.

"…You shouldn't have to do this alone…" Riley said finally.

"I'm never alone," Leaf replied and turned around, "I have my Pokémon with me."

"I suppose you're right…" Riley acknowledged, but he didn't sound convinced, "Where are you going next?"

"Mount Coronet," Leaf answered, "I need to get to Snowpoint City."

"Good luck," Riley said to her, "And be careful."

"I will. Bye, Riley," Leaf turned to leave.

"Good-bye…"

oOoOoOo

Notes: This next chapter is going to be so much fun to write! Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Riley fought somebody using his Aura powers? Well, stay tuned and you'll find out!


	26. Chapter 26: Saturn Attacks

"What's up? Do you sense something?" Leaf asked her Pokémon. They had been walking outside of Pastoria City when Knuckles suddenly began to hone his aura. When he opened his eyes again, he did not look happy, to say the least.

"You say it's Team Galactic?" Leaf clarified after he told her what he sensed.

"Just great… How many of them are there?" she asked. Judging by the look on Knuckles' face, there were a lot of them.

"What are we supposed to do?" Leaf cried. In response, Knuckles immediately darted behind a thick cluster of trees. Leaf followed, hoping that hiding like this would work.

Shortly afterward, several Team Galactic members trudged through the pathway before them. They didn't look too excited to be there.

"Man… this totally sucks… How are we supposed to find a tiny Pokémon like Azelf in the wilderness anyway?" one of the grunts complained loudly.

"Chill out, we got Golbat scoping out the entire area. It won't be long before we find it. And when we do, we'll be rewarded," another answered with a smirk.

As the group trudged along, Leaf took notice of a Golbat hovering around nearby. It was unbelievably close to her and Lucario. Leaf could only hope that it wouldn't see them…

But unfortunately, it did see them. And it shrieked loudly.

"Hey! What was that?" a grunt asked, and the whole lot of them turned in Leaf and Knuckles' direction.

Knuckles seized Leaf's hand and the two of them ran away, only to be cut off by more Team Galactic members.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a grunt grinned, "Too bad for you, but this isn't the place for puny trainers to be wanderin' around alone. But, we're feeling generous today… Just hand over that Lucario, and we'll let you pass."

"Heh heh, a Lucario would sure come in handy in trackin' down Azelf, it sure would…" another chuckled happily.

The first grunt smacked him on the head, "Shut up! We ain't supposed to tell anybody that!"

"Sorry…" the second one frowned and rubbed his sore head.

"Well, too bad for you guys, but I don't hand over my Pokémon to anybody, much less creeps like you!" Leaf sneered as she reached for her pokéballs while Knuckles got ready to use Bone Rush.

"You might want to make an exception today," a voice from behind declared ominously.

Leaf turned around to see the group of grunts from earlier with all their Golbat beside them, ready for battle.

"Just give up now; it'll make things easier on yourself," one of them threatened.

"I NEVER give up!" Leaf declared and released all of her Pokémon except for Azelf.

"So you want to battle, huh? How pointless… You're completely outnumbered you know…" a grunt sneered.

"Now hold on!" someone ordered from a distance.

Leaf flinched. More of them! This was getting out of hand. Her Pokémon were strong, but even they couldn't take on this many enemies all at once.

"Who you've come across there is no ordinary trainer…" the voice drawled somewhat robotically.

"Master Saturn!" all of the grunts bowed somewhat respectfully.

"You are the Pokémon Researcher are you not?" the owner of the voice was clear now. He looked to be in command of these grunts, and he certainly didn't look friendly. He had an exceptionally weird haircut, and an evil sneer to match.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Leaf demanded to know. The fighting wasn't about to start yet, and she wanted to prolong the peace as long as possible. Maybe she could trick this guy into a one on one battle. Somehow, he didn't really look like the type to give a fair fight, but she had to try for it…

"You don't seem to understand the situation here," Saturn said with displeasure in his voice, "I am the one who asks the questions here. And you are the one who answers them. There will be no deviation."

Leaf's eye narrowed slightly. Obviously _someone_ had control issues. Maybe she could play off of that…

"Now I'll ask you one more time. Who ARE you?" Saturn asked impatiently.

"My name is… Anne… and I'm a Pokémon trainer. No need to get all bent out of shape…"

"Somehow, I don't believe you," Saturn's eyes narrowed, "Because you look to me remarkably like that researcher that the crazy professor hired to track down the legendary Lake Pokémon for him… now doesn't that sound familiar to you…?"

"No… not really… I mean, I'm totally not smart enough to be a Pokémon Researcher… that's just so…"

"Enough! I've heard enough of your lies! If you aren't willing to tell me what I want, then you and your Pokémon are useless to me! Men! Destroy those pathetic Pokémon! We'll see what she has to say for us once her Pokémon are lying at our feet!"

There were plenty of Golbat to contend with to begin with, but the new grunts alongside Saturn sent out even more… This wasn't going to be easy…

Leaf watched the ensuing battle with worry. Her Pokémon were doing their best, but there were just too many of them…

"What's wrong? Don't like what you see?" Saturn smirked. Leaf scowled.

"You have the power to end this you know…" Saturn continued, "Just hand over Azelf, and it will all be over!"

Leaf's eyes widened. How did he know…?

Saturn laughed at her surprise, "Did you really think you could fool me? Why else would a trainer come to this filthy mud hole but to find the legendary Azelf? That's the only reason _I'm_ here!"

Leaf clenched her fists, "There are plenty of other reasons to come to Pastoria City!"

"Yes, of course, and that_ must_ explain why you only have five Pokémon battling my Golbat right now! Now remind me, doesn't every trainer carry _six_ Pokémon with them? Hmm… now where might your sixth Pokémon be?"

"Shut up!" Leaf cried. She had lost her level headed resolve. Saturn had everything figured out; she was cornered and outnumbered… It was only a matter of time…

No! Leaf shook her head wildly to clear those thoughts. She wouldn't let Team Galactic have their way with her! She was Azelf's only hope right now! She wouldn't let him down! Not now, not ever!

"Hand over Azelf! Do it now, and no one will have to get hurt…!" Saturn goaded.

"No!" Leaf said resolutely.

"Come out, Toxicroak!" Saturn let out a giant toad freak Pokémon. It looked poisonous, ugly, and dangerous to say the least.

Leaf looked around for her Pokémon; they were fighting hard, obviously preoccupied at the moment. What would she do if Saturn decided to have his Pokémon attack her like those creeps on Iron Island…?

"I'll say it one more time…! Give Azelf to me now!" Saturn ordered.

Leaf shook her head. She wouldn't. She couldn't…

"Well then. Perhaps you need some persuasion… Toxicroak! Use your Poison Jab!"

Leaf covered her head with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. She'd rather be pulverized herself than give Azelf away to these crooks. And it looked like she'd have to do just that…

Leaf braced herself for a hard hit, but it never came…

"WHAT!" Saturn shrieked.

Leaf opened her eyes and gasped. There was a protective blue shield around her, and it looked to be made of… Aura…

"Shame on you. Attacking a Trainer while her Pokémon are otherwise distracted… That's just disgusting…"

Leaf was at a loss for words, "…Riley…?" she just barely managed to say. He was crouched to the ground before her, holding out his arms in a defensive manner. Had _he_ somehow made this shield? How could he _do _that…?

Riley stood and turned to her, "Sorry I'm late. By the looks of things, I should have come sooner."

"No, you're fine…" Leaf replied softly, still stunned by the entire situation. She looked around to see that Riley's Pokémon had also stepped in to join the fight alongside her Pokémon against the Golbat to help even the odds. She didn't recognize most of them since she had never seen any of his Pokémon before aside from Lucario.

"I've had enough of this! I came here to get Azelf, and that is what I shall do!" Saturn declared.

"You'll have to get through me first," Riley told him calmly.

"Toxicroak! Destroy that pathetic shield with Rock Smash!" Saturn ordered.

Toxicroak smashed Riley's shield powerfully. Riley looked to be struggling to maintain the shield.

"Another one! Make certain to hit the exact same place!" Saturn commanded his Pokémon.

Toxicroak smashed the shield again, and this time… Riley's shield shattered, unable to take such a direct and focused attack.

"There! You can't possibly stand up to my Pokémon's power! Just give up now!" Saturn told Riley.

"I'm not down for the count just yet," Riley smirked slightly. Leaf just blinked. What was up with Riley anyway…?

Leaf gasped when she saw a small, focused ball of energy gather in Riley's hands. What was he doing? _How_ was he doing what he was doing?

"Taste the power of my Aura!" Riley cried and hurled his 'Aura Sphere' at Toxicroak.

Saturn shouted some choice words while Leaf just stood there stunned. Was Riley half Lucario or something? How was this even possible?

"It doesn't matter what you do!" Saturn cried once he had controlled himself a little, "You will be crushed by the might of my Toxicroak!"

"The Aura is with me!" Riley said dramatically. He began to charge more aura energy.

However, Toxicroak was faster. He used his Poison Jab attack, which hit Riley painfully in the side. Riley's stored aura fizzled out as he stopped to clutch the wound.

"Riley!" Leaf screamed and tried to rush over to him, but Toxicroak swatted at her, and she instinctively backed off.

"I'm alright," Riley drew himself to his full height again and held his side with one hand.

"Poison Sting," Saturn smirked.

Toxicroak opened his mouth and shot an array of tiny poisonous needles at Riley. It was a direct hit, and Riley collapsed to the ground in pain.

"Stop!" Leaf shrieked. She couldn't watch this. Riley wasn't a Pokémon; he wouldn't be able to defend himself from one forever.

"Again," Saturn's smirk widened.

Toxicroak hopped over to the weakened Riley and attacked him again while he was lying there on the ground. Riley's cry of pain seemed to slice through Leaf's ears. She couldn't take this!

"No, Riley!" Leaf cried, tears beginning to stream down her face. She ran over to his side and tried to help him. He was battered and broken, and there was nothing she could do. Riley was groaning and shuddering in pain, and he wouldn't let go of his side. She didn't know what she could do to help him.

"You did this to him," Saturn told her, "If you had just given me Azelf like I asked, this never would have happened," he said methodically, like a robot.

"You're a monster!" Leaf shrieked at him, "I'd NEVER give Azelf to you!"

"Very well, then. You give me no choice. I will have to take it by force," Saturn said smoothly as if he were just deciding what to have for breakfast in the morning.

"Use Rock Smash, Toxicroak."

Leaf watched Toxicroak in horror. It was headed right for her, ready to attack. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. This was really it…

When nothing happened, Leaf opened her eyes again to find Knuckles inches from her, holding Toxicroak back. It obviously was no small feat for him as Knuckles cried out loudly from the effort it took to shove the larger Pokémon away.

"My God… Knuckles, thank you," Leaf breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Hey! Stop what you're doing! Hands in the air now!" the familiar voice of Officer Jenny shouted out.

Saturn glanced at the approaching policemen, "Men! Retreat at once!"

The grunts immediately commanded their Golbat to use SmokeScreen.

Amidst the growing smoke and smog, Saturn glared at Leaf, "You haven't seen the last of us, Leaf. Mark my words, Team Galactic _will _receive Azelf from you…" he informed her before disappeared from sight.

Leaf held onto Riley's arm and tried to breathe. She knew Knuckles was nearby, but she couldn't see him. She quietly prayed that Riley and all of their Pokémon would be safe…


	27. Chapter 27: Recovery

Once the smoke finally cleared, Leaf called out to the dumbfounded police officers for help. Team Galactic was gone, but she could care less about them right now. Riley was badly hurt, and he needed medical help now. Not to mention, a simple, quick glance was all she needed to do to see that several of their Pokémon were badly injured as well.

Seeing that the day was won for now, Knuckles collapsed to the ground out of sheer exhaustion.

An hour later, Leaf sat outside of the hospital room where Riley was currently resting. One of the nurses had told her that he was badly poisoned, the doctor had done everything he could for now, and that all Riley needed to do now was rest. They had asked Leaf many questions to which she answered as best she could, considering she knew very little about Riley.

Leaf sighed. She felt awful. Here Riley had saved her life, and he wound up lying in a hospital bed for it. And as for her, she didn't even know who his parents are. Or where he lived. Or how he was going to pay for this hospital bill.

Leaf's thoughts focused back on their Pokémon. Nurse Joy had offered to take them all to the Pokémon Center for her while she stayed with Riley. All of them were exhausted and injured. She felt terribly for them. Tears slid down her cheeks as she replayed everything that had happened in her head. How would she be able to protect all that she cared for with Team Galactic in the picture? What if something worse happened to them next time?

"Excuse me, miss? You were the one who was attacked by the Team Galactic?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Leaf jumped slightly and looked up. She was too startled to wipe away the tears running down her face.

The man who addressed her had a somewhat businesslike look on his face until he saw her tears. His features softened, and he looked concerned, "You are okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Leaf said quickly and wiped her eyes.

"… Let me make the introduction. My name is Looker. I am from the international police. I am investigating the Team Galactic," he told her.

"Really?" Leaf sniffed, "Um, I'm Leaf…"

"Yes, I have many questions for you, if you don't mind answering them… Maybe I ask you later?" Looker asked kindly.

"No, I don't mind answering right now. I have nothing to do but sit around and worry about stuff right now anyway…" Leaf tucked her hair behind her ear.

Leaf then proceeded to answer all of Looker's questions about what happened to her earlier today when Team Galactic had attacked her and her Pokémon. She told him everything that had happened, and she even told him about the Valley Windworks and about the time they tricked her back on that old covered bridge. He already knew about Iron Island; apparently he had talked with Riley about it several days ago.

After all the questioning was over, Looker stretched. Leaf thought that he was going to get up to leave soon, but instead he leaned back in his seat and seemed to be thinking hard about something. She waited a long time before she opened her mouth to speak.

"So…" Leaf said awkwardly, "What are you going to do next?" She had no idea why he was still here, and she didn't really know what to say anymore.

"Sorry, but," Looker looked over at her, "I'm not allowed to say."

"Oh," Leaf replied, "Do you have to leave soon?" She didn't want to hold him up somehow.

"Yes," Looker looked tired, "But I will stay here for now."

"Why?" Leaf asked, somewhat startled.

"If I leave, you will be alone," he said simply, "You were just in a frightening situation with the Team Galactic. It is not right for you to be alone."

"Thank you…" Leaf said quietly.

"No problem," Looker responded.

They sat for a long time without saying anything. Leaf's guilt about being the only one unharmed began to resurface. Leaf sighed loudly in an attempt to keep herself from crying again. She felt so useless…

"You are okay?" Looker asked again. He looked concerned.

"I'm fine," Leaf said quickly. She held her head in her hands and stared at the ground.

"…You're sure?" Looker asked after a long time.

Leaf shook her head. She couldn't keep pretending forever.

"You are worried about your friend, Riley?" Looker guessed.

"No, the doctor said he's going to be fine…" Leaf admitted, "I'm just… wondering why it had to be him instead of me."

"Riley is your good friend…" Looker began.

"But that's just it!" Leaf shook her head, "I barely know Riley… He shouldn't have gotten hurt like this in my place… it just isn't… it just… shouldn't have happened."

"Now I cannot speak for Riley, but…" Looker said thoughtfully, "If it were me, I wouldn't stand back and allow anyone to get hurt. Regardless of whether they're my friend or not. Perhaps Riley is the same way."

"Maybe you're right, but," Leaf looked away, "I should have taken care of myself. I don't want to let someone else take the fall for me."

"Sometimes it is not possible to do everything yourself. That is why we make friends with others. And… speaking of friends, I think there is someone here now who wants to see you," Looker smiled and nodded his head in the direction of the newcomer.

Leaf looked up at Looker and turned to see who he was talking about, "Knuckles!" she cried and immediately went over to embrace her Pokémon.

"Wait a second! How the heck did you even _get_ here, anyway?" Leaf suddenly realized and pulled away a little to look him in the eyes. Knuckles just gave a sheepish grin.

"Well, if it is okay with you, I must go now…" Looker nodded to Leaf, "I leave you in good hands."

"Thanks, Looker. Thanks for everything, really."

"No problems. Good luck and beware of the Team Galactic!" Looker began to scurry away.

"You too! Bye!" Leaf called after him. Then she giggled quietly as she hugged her adorable Lucario once more. She felt much better with her Pokémon around.

"You feeling better now?" Leaf asked Knuckles. He nodded.

Just then, the doctor rushed out of Riley's room, but stopped abruptly when he noticed Leaf out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey now! Visiting hours are over! You're not supposed to be here! My patients need rest!" he began his tirade.

"I didn't know," Leaf interrupted. No one bothered to tell her.

"But, please, can't I go in and see him? You haven't let me see him even once!" Leaf begged.

"Absolutely not! He's my patient, and I say he needs rest!" the doctor declared.

"No one's denying that," Leaf nodded as she clasped her hands together and stared at him imploringly, "But please? Just for a few minutes? I just want to see him!" Leaf begged again.

One of the nurses broke in, "He has been asking to see her. Maybe he will rest easier after a quick visit."

"Fine," the doctor grunted, "But that Pokémon has to stay outside. I don't want any Pokémon licking my patients' faces!"

"Thank you!" Leaf beamed and hurried inside. She didn't bother informing the doctor that her Lucario doesn't lick faces. She was just glad to be able to see Riley, and she certainly didn't want to jinx it by potentially setting him off on a bad mood.

"Riley?" Leaf asked into the darkened room as she stepped inside, uncertain as to whether he was asleep or not.

"…Leaf?" Riley's voice sounded tired but surprised.

"Yeah, it's me; that doctor finally let me in to see you," Leaf whispered and walked over to him.

"Finally…"

Leaf found his hand and held it in hers, "How are you feeling?" she asked and gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Pretty tired…" he sighed.

"I'm sorry," Leaf said quietly.

They were silent for a moment until Riley suddenly piped up, "Leaf!"

"What is it?" Leaf asked quietly. She looked around anxiously, hoping that none of the nurses would come in and shoo her away because Riley wasn't relaxing at all.

"Will you take care of… my Pokémon… where are they?" Riley seemed too tired to say all this at once, but he didn't seem to care.

"They're fine. Don't worry. They're with Nurse Joy now, and when they get better, I'll watch over them, I promise. Don't worry," Leaf repeated when she saw a nurse come in.

"Good… I know they're in good hands with you…" Riley smiled slightly in spite of everything.

"Okay, you have to go now…" the nurse told Leaf and gave her a slight push.

"Bye, Riley. Sleep well, okay?" Leaf said to him.

"Don't touch the patient!" the nurse ordered when she noticed Leaf was still holding his hand.

"Sorry," Leaf let go of him and waved instead.

"Bye, Leaf," Riley chuckled a little.

"Okay, now go!" the nurse ordered and herded Leaf out of the room.

Leaf and Lucario were then swiftly driven out of the hospital. Leaf sighed and shrugged. Now it was time to check on the Pokémon. It really was all she could do at this point.

"Hey! There you are!" Nurse Joy said sternly once Leaf walked into the Pokémon Center with Knuckles, "You're that Lucario that went missing!"

"Knuckles? You totally ran away from the Pokémon Center, didn't you?" Leaf sighed.

Knuckles looked sheepish.

"Next time, wait until I come to get you… Honestly, what if you were still hurt?" Leaf shook her head.

Knuckles growled at that. He was perfectly fine.

"Well, at any rate, Lucario should be fine now," Nurse Joy told Leaf.

"Well, that's good, but what about the rest of the Pokémon?"

"Come with me, and I'll show you," Joy led the way to the other Pokémon.

"As you can see, Blastoise, Chatot, Absol, Metang, and the other Lucario are fine. But, the rest of the Pokémon are going to need more rest…" Joy informed Leaf.

Leaf smiled at the Pokémon that were feeling better, but looked over the other Pokémon with concern. Popuri and Blaze weren't doing so well yet. As for Riley's Pokémon, Leaf recognized an Ursaring and a Pinsir lying down on the hospital beds resting. The other Pokémon was a dragon looking Pokémon that she had never seen before.

"Those five Pokémon should recover by tomorrow morning," Nurse Joy told her.

"I hope they feel better soon," Leaf said quietly. Then she reached for her pokéballs so that she could recall her Pokémon for now. She stopped short, however, when Riley's Lucario came up to her and seemed to be asking her something.

"What's up, Rukario?" Leaf asked him, "Are you wondering about Riley?"

Lucario nodded and waited for her answer.

"Don't worry. The doctor said he needs to rest at the hospital for now, but he'll be better in the morning," Leaf explained.

Lucario seemed to accept that, but he still looked worried. Leaf stroked the Pokémon's arm in an attempt to ease his worry, but it wasn't much help. She didn't think he really liked her touching him at all.

Leaf sighed and recalled Vegeta and Blathers. She then looked over at Absol and Metang. They both looked confused and worried about their trainer. Leaf wasn't certain what she'd do with these Pokémon she barely knew before now. She didn't have any of Riley's pokéballs, and it was getting late. Hopefully, she wouldn't have many roommates tonight, because it looked like they'd have to sleep with her for the night.

Guu~! Leaf's stomach growled. It was really late, and she hadn't eaten for a long time…

"C'mon, you guys," Leaf said to the Pokémon now in her care, "Let's get back to the lobby and I'll try and fix us something to eat."

After the lot of them finished eating, it was really late, and Leaf was tired. She just wanted to sleep.

"Come on, all you Pokémon," Leaf waved her arm in the direction of the dorm rooms. She had asked Riley's Pokémon if they had nicknames, but it seemed like they didn't. She couldn't really understand them well enough to know for certain, "Let's get to bed now, I guess."

Leaf led the Pokémon to the girls' dorms. Absol and the two Lucario walked inside with no trouble, but Metang… Metang couldn't fit through the doorway.

"ME- TANG!" Metang buzzed loudly as he crashed into the door frame over and over again. Apparently, he found it more fun to try to smash through the wall than to just move and try a different way like a normal Pokémon.

"Sssh! Be quiet!" Leaf hissed, "You're going to wake up the entire Pokémon Center!"

"Now, here, let me help you," Leaf tried to direct the Pokémon to go through sideways after he had calmed down.

"There, that works," Leaf wiped her brow in relief when the Steel Pokémon finally got through the slim doorframe. It was an awkward fit, but she managed to squeeze him through without scraping the wall.

Luckily for her, she wasn't sharing a room with any other trainers, and she didn't think any more of them would decide to come this late at night.

"Good night," Leaf said to her newfound poképals before promptly drifting off to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28: Meet Salamence

"I'm _fining_ you!"

Knuckles groaned and twitched in his sleep. Who was that? And why did that voice sound so irritatingly familiar?

"Didn't you _HEAR _ME? I SAID I'm _FINING_ YOU!"

Knuckles was jolted awake by the screaming, and he angrily gazed at the blond male who had awoken him.

"Now _pay_ up!" Barry ignored Knuckles' glare and held out his hand for cash.

Knuckles felt himself for some money. Then he realized he didn't have any pockets nor any cash…

"Arrgh! You get five _seconds_ to pay up!" Barry stomped his foot.

"Five-four-three-" Barry began to count at a frantic pace.

Knuckles promptly got up and began to run away. But suddenly, another Barry appeared in front of him.

"You can't run from me! I'm BARRY! I'm going to be the _greatest_ Pokémon master EVER!"

Knuckles turned to run in a different direction, but another Barry appeared to block his way once again, "HEY! You can't run away from ME!" Barry flailed around angrily.

"Hey, I know! As punishment for you being So Rude, I'm going to make you MY Pokémon!" Barry cried.

Knuckles shouted out in pain. NOTHING was worse than THAT!

"Knuckles? What's wrong?" Leaf asked. Knuckles opened his eyes and was relieved to see Leaf standing before him instead of Barry. Knuckles then proceeded to warn her about Barry and his evil plans.

"What? Sorry?" Leaf smacked the side of her head like she had water in her ears, "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to use a translator." She then let out Blathers.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! I LOOOOVE DEFENSE!" Blathers bellowed. Knuckles covered his ears; somehow Chatot's normally irritating voice seemed ten thousand times louder than usual.

"I'm FINING YOU, KNUCKLES!" Blathers shrieked.

Knuckles collapsed to the ground and pressed his paws to his ears as hard as he could. He couldn't TAKE it anymore!

"Knuckles!" Leaf said loudly.

Knuckles released his ears and opened his eyes. Leaf was looking down at him from her bed.

"Are you okay, Knuckles?" Leaf asked, blinking more often than usual.

Knuckles let out a sigh of relief. It was all a dream… but a terrible one at that!

"…Okay…" Leaf laid back in her bed and tried to wake up more. It wasn't often that she woke up to the sound of a thrashing Pokémon. Poor thing. Must've had a bad dream…

After they had all woken up and Leaf had gotten ready, Leaf and the four Pokémon walked out into the main lobby of the Pokémon Center.

"Good morning!" Nurse Joy said happily.

"Hi," Leaf could only smile a little, "How're the Pokémon?"

"Oh, they're all doing much better! The Ursaring and Salamence are still asleep, but other than that, I'd say they're all good to go!"

"That's great!" Leaf smiled. She followed Nurse Joy to go see them. After Leaf recalled her Pokémon, she looked at her newest 'poképal' Pinsir. He was clicking his massive pincers threateningly at Knuckles.

"Hi… Pinsir…" Leaf said tentatively. She never liked giant bug Pokémon very much. And this one in particular looked pretty formidable. Why did Riley have such a creepy Pokémon?

"PINSIR!" Pinsir suddenly shouted.

Leaf jumped in fright, but Nurse Joy smiled warmly, "I think he likes you."

"What? Are you crazy?" Leaf looked at her in disbelief. Now, Leaf had always held a great deal of respect for Nurse Joys. They were brilliant at what they did, and they didn't even get paid much for it in return. But as for right now, Leaf could only wonder how she could be so smart and yet so delusional at the same time…

"Pinsir…" Pinsir clicked his pincers threateningly as he edged closer to Leaf.

"Aw… aren't you… so sweet…?" Leaf looked like she might faint as Pinsir edged in close for a hug. Apparently, the 'threatening' sound of his pincers clicking was actually a sign of affection…

"Pin… sir…" Pinsir hugged her happily for a few seconds before he finally pulled away.

"…Anyway, I think we should go see how Riley's doing, huh?" Leaf turned to the rest of the Pokémon. They seemed to agree, so the six of them headed back to the lobby.

Much to Leaf's surprise, the very person they were headed out to see walked inside the lobby as soon as they did.

"Riley?" Leaf cried. All of his Pokémon looked greatly relieved to see him as well.

"Easy now, I'm still a little sore," Riley said as Pinsir ran over to him and looked like he might bowl him over.

Leaf smiled as Riley's Pokémon happily greeted him. Metang hovered around Riley and buzzed happily with a huge grin on his face. Pinsir clicked his pincers affectionately near Riley's elbow. Absol stroked himself against Riley's leg, much like a cat would to its owner. Lucario stood before Riley and quietly gazed at him. Riley stroked his Lucario's head with his hand, "I'm glad to see that you're all doing well."

"Thanks for watching over them, Leaf," Riley looked over at her.

"Hey, it was nothing," Leaf grinned, "I'm just glad everyone's feelin' better now!"

"Me too," Riley agreed as he began to recall his Pokémon.

"Your last two Pokémon are still sleeping in the back there," Leaf told him, "Nurse Joy can take you to see them."

"Thanks; I'll be back in a minute then," Riley replied and went off to find her.

"Well…" Leaf turned to her Lucario, "I guess it's time to hit the grind again…"

Knuckles blinked.

"Hey, let's check out the map they've got here while we're waiting," Leaf mused as she noticed a giant map on the wall.

"Hmm… To get to our destination," Leaf began as she held her chin thoughtfully, "We're going to have to get through the swamps beyond Pastoria City… and then we'll have to travel through many, many miles of mountainous terrain until we reach the snowy frozen landscape before Snowpoint City… It'll be freezing, and I'm sure we'll get lost at some point…."

Knuckles shivered at the mere thought of it.

Leaf sighed, "Man… that'll be one heck of a journey… It'll take several days at least…"

"So," Leaf turned to Knuckles, "What are you looking forward to the least?"

Knuckles considered carefully for a moment before he placed his paw on the swamplands.

"What?" Leaf exclaimed, "We have to trudge through like thousands of miles through mountainous caves and snowy tundra, but you don't want to go through the SWAMPS?"

Knuckles just gave her a look. He still remembered her completely overreacting to the filthy mud everywhere in the Great Marsh.

"Oh… yeah… I guess you might be right…" Leaf recalled sheepishly.

"Planning out your journey?" Riley asked as he approached.

"Yeah," Leaf turned around, "And it looks like we've got a long road ahead of us…"

"Hmm…" Riley looked thoughtful for a moment, "Mind if I come along?"

"What?" Leaf couldn't believe what she just heard.

"I've been thinking…" Riley said thoughtfully, "You have a lot on your plate, guarding Azelf all on your own like that… I want to help."

"You're serious?" Leaf looked appalled, "I mean, you were seriously injured by Team Galactic; why on earth would you want to join me and get put into those kinds of situations again?"

"Because…" Riley looked at the ground thoughtfully before looking her in the eyes, "What happened to me could have just as easily happened to you or someone else… I can't just stand by and allow things like that to happen!"

"You're pretty brave to say that…"

"I only want to help…" Riley said modestly.

"Well, I thank you for that," Leaf smiled shyly.

"So then," Riley looked at the map, "where are we all headed?"

"Snowpoint City is our ultimate destination…You know, because I need to find Lake Acuity and Uxie… Judging by this map, I think it'll take us several days to get there, though…" Leaf told him.

"Wow, you bet…" Riley said with a slight smile, "But I think I can help you out with that. We can get there much faster on my Salamence."

"Wow, you've been to Snowpoint City before?"

"No, but I can take you to Eterna City. That's quite a bit closer than going there from here."

"Definitely! That would be great!" Leaf beamed. Now she wouldn't have to trek through those swamps! And plus, her trek through the mountains would be cut in half!

"So, Riley, I've been wondering… How were you able to like, form that shield when Saturn attacked me? It seemed like it was made of Aura or something…" Leaf mused as they walked outside.

"That's because it was," Riley said seriously.

"What? You've gotta be kidding me right now! You can use Aura like a Lucario? How is that even possible?"

"Everyone has the power of Aura inside them. But I am able to tap into that energy and control it, much like a Lucario can. Lucario are masters of aura. I'm pretty good, but I wouldn't say that I'm a master just yet."

"So… you aren't half Lucario?" Leaf asked.

"No," Riley chuckled, "But the truth is, I'm training myself to become a Guardian of Aura."

"Guardian of Aura?" Leaf repeated, "Sorry but, what the heck is that?"

"Well," Riley began, "I suppose someone from Kanto wouldn't be familiar with any of the legends, but I will say this: an Aura Guardian's duty is to protect all those in need. It's a gift to be able to manipulate the powers of aura like I can; therefore, I intend to use it wisely."

"Well… that sounds pretty honorable," Leaf smiled.

"Thanks," Riley said modestly, "Now… Come on out, Salamence!"

The ferocious dragon from before appeared in a flash of red light. It immediately perked up at the sight of Leaf and hurried over to take in her scent. Knuckles tensed, even though he could sense that the Pokémon's intentions were not hostile.

Leaf winced when the Pokémon came over, half expecting it to want to eat her. But she opened her eyes when she heard it happily humming.

"Awww…" Leaf petted the Salamence's head as he nuzzled against her, "You look scary, but you're just a sweetie on the inside, aren't you?" Knuckles relaxed.

"Wow… Salamence has never greeted _me _that way…" Riley looked a little cross.

"Maybe Salamence just likes my Aura or something…" Leaf shrugged.

"Salamence can't sense Aura," Riley pointed out.

"I don't know…" Leaf shrugged again.

"Well, at any rate, I suppose we should head off to Eterna City now," Riley said as he climbed onto Salamence's back.

"Actually, would you mind if we went to Sandgem Town first really quickly?" Leaf asked.

"Why?"

"Well, when Team Galactic figured out that Azelf wasn't at Lake Valor… They completely blew it up, right? I'm afraid the same might happen to Lake Verity… since Mesprit isn't around."

"Where is Mesprit?" Riley wondered.

"No idea…" Leaf shrugged, "But I'm still worried about the landscape of Lake Verity and all the Magikarp and other defenseless Pokémon there…"

"Alright then, let's get going," Riley said and offered his hand.

Leaf looked at Salamence and then at her Lucario, "Uh… I don't think there's a lot of room; maybe it'll be safer for you to get inside your pokéball, Knuckles…"

Knuckles grunted; apparently not pleased with the situation, but allowed himself to be sucked into the pokéball without complaint.

"Well, what do ya know…?" Leaf turned Knuckles' pokéball over in her hand, "That's the first time he's ever went into the pokéball…"

"Your Lucario refuses to go into the Pokéball?" Riley looked surprised.

"Yeah… that's not bad, is it?" Leaf wondered.

"I don't know. Can't say it's ever happened to me before…" Riley shrugged.

"Well, I guess we should get going…" Leaf said as she finally took Riley's hand and climbed onto Salamence behind him. She had to admit she was kind of nervous to ride on a dragon, but after seeing how sweet he really was, she figured it couldn't be so bad… right?

Riley winced slightly when Leaf wrapped her arms around him; it was then that she realized that she had bumped against his sore side… where Toxicroak had first used Poison Jab…

"I'm sorry!" Leaf apologized profusely.

"It's fine," Riley tried to act like it was nothing.

"Alright, Salamence, you remember where Sandgem Town is, right?" Riley asked his Pokémon.

Salamence looked back at him with confusion.

"Alright… How about Jubilife then?" Riley asked.

Salamence nodded and promptly took off before Leaf had a chance to argue. Jubilife? No! She hadn't agreed to that awful place with all the creepy clowns everywhere! Oh well, it was too late now… Leaf was too afraid to move, much less complain about their destination while she was soaring up so high in the air.

Leaf squeezed her eyes shut to keep herself from looking down and getting dizzy. She'd definitely have to learn to get used to this sort of thing…


	29. Chapter 29: Mars

Leaf held onto Riley for dear life, it seemed, "Are you okay back there?" Riley asked her.

"Yeah, just fine…" Leaf lied.

"You don't have to be nervous…" Riley reassured her. He could probably sense what she was feeling with those aura powers he has…

"Yeah, but I am anyway…"

"We'll be there soon."

As soon as Salamence landed, Knuckles popped out of his Pokéball before Leaf could even get it out of her bag, "Okay… how did that even happen?" Leaf asked bluntly.

Riley got off Salamence and held out his hand to help Leaf do the same, "It shouldn't be too far of a walk to Sandgem, right?"

"Yeah, I guess not. But you totally picked the worst city to make a pit stop…"

"Huh?" Riley was confused.

"This place is _crawling_ with creepy clowns!" Leaf exclaimed.

Riley blinked, his confusion still written all over his face, "Uh, sorry, I guess we'd better hurry then…"

"AHA! THERE you are! This time you WILL listen to the greatness of the pokétch!" a clown shrieked as he seemingly popped out from nowhere.

"How many times do I have to tell you freaks to leave me alone?" Leaf screamed and turned to run away.

"You won't get away this time-! Uh… Oof!" the clown started to run after Leaf, but he tripped over his giant clown shoes and fell over in a heap on the ground.

Riley and Knuckles could only stare at the scene before them with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"Leaf! Wait!" Riley cried and ran after her when he noticed she was already well ahead of them. Knuckles followed right after him, and the pathetic clown was left behind in the dust.

Leaf didn't stop running until she reached Sandgem. She leaned on her knees and caught her breath while she waited for Riley to catch up since Knuckles was already at her side.

"What was _that_ all about?" Riley asked breathlessly once he caught up to them.

"Those creepy clowns just don't know how to leave me alone! They keep tryin' to sell me some nonsense thing that I don't even want!"

"That's strange…" Riley shrugged since he couldn't think of anything better to say.

"You bet it is!" Leaf looked at Knuckles, "Next time I'll just have Knuckles kick their -" Leaf was cut off by the sound of Starly screeching and flying past just above their heads.

"They must be coming from Lake Verity!" Riley realized.

"And they look pretty freaked out," Leaf pointed out the obvious, "We'd better get going!"

Leaf, Riley, and Knuckles hurried off to Lake Verity using Dan's shortcut. Once they got close to the sign, Knuckles suddenly held out his arm to stop them from going any further.

"What? Are you sensing something?" Leaf asked her Pokémon.

Knuckles growled quietly. Apparently, several members from Team Galactic were just ahead. There was only one pure aura up ahead, and it was frightened.

"I'll go take a look," Riley walked ahead, "Just stay here, Leaf."

"What! I can't let you go alone!"

"Think about it," Riley reasoned, "If Team Galactic catches sight of you, all they'll see is an opportunity to nab Azelf. I'll handle this myself. It'll be easier that way."

"Easier how?" Leaf retorted.

"There aren't many of them; I'll be fine. Now, I have to go; someone up there's counting on me."

"Fine," Leaf gave in, but she wasn't particularly happy about it.

Meanwhile…

"Are you sure it's this kid?" Mars asked snidely. This brat didn't seem like he knew anything.

The Golbat before her nodded. This was definitely the kid the Pokémon researcher was with when he saw her emerge from Mesprit's cave. He was certain of it.

"Please… I told you… I never did anything wrong…" Dan sniffed.

"Quit crying already!" Mars sneered, "I don't want to hear your pathetic whining! Now tell me where Mesprit is!"

"Harassing children now? You Galactics are pathetic; how low can you possibly go?"

"Who said that?" Mars whirled around to see Riley, "Oh, great; it's YOU again!" she said with disgust.

Riley said nothing as he pulled out a Pokéball and released his Lucario.

"Oh, you want to battle me?" Mars smirked, "Big mistake!"

"Come out, Purugly!" Mars released her favorite Pokémon. It was pretty much the ugliest cat in the entire world, and she didn't look especially friendly.

Lucario snarled. He hadn't forgotten when Purugly had beaten him back on Iron Island. He wasn't about to let it happen again.

"Use your Fury Swipes!" Mars ordered just like last time.

Purugly slashed at Lucario several times, but Lucario made no attempt to dodge. The attack wasn't very effective. Not this time. Lucario just smirked at Purugly's surprise. He wasn't as vulnerable now as he was on Iron Island; back then he was going berserk from all the negative energy.

"Show them your Close Combat!" Riley cried.

Lucario smashed Purugly with several punches and kicks. Purugly just fainted from the strong fighting type attack. Some fight that was…

"What! That wasn't fair at all!" Mars cried out angrily, "Your Pokémon is supposed to be weaker than mine!"

"What do you expect? Your Pokémon was a normal type…" Dan pointed out.

"Men! We're retreating. Now! Get MOVING!" Mars roared, "And we're taking the little boy with us," she added nastily, hoping to get a reaction out of Riley.

"Lucario!" Riley cried, but Lucario was already on it. He hurled an Aura Sphere at the grunts' feet to scare them away from Dan.

In the meantime, all of their Golbat were using Smokescreen as a cover for the grunts as they retreated by helicopter. Riley didn't care about them getting away; he was just concerned for the child's safety. But he could only cough and struggle for air in the smothering smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Riley was relieved to see his Lucario set down the frightened child on the ground beside him, "Are you alright?" Riley asked him.

"Yeah…" Dan managed to say between coughing, "Thanks for standing up to those guys for me…" he piped up again seconds later.

"No problem," Riley smiled slightly.

"You dress kind of funny," Dan noticed, "Are you… a Pokémon Ranger?"

"No," Riley chuckled, "I'm actually just a Pokémon Trainer."

"That's great!" Dan beamed, "I'm going to be one someday, too!"

"That's good," Riley smiled as he led the way back to Leaf.

"Dan?" Leaf cried when she saw Riley approach with the young boy.

"Hi Leaf! Are you on a new mission?" Dan asked.

"What happened back there?" Leaf demanded to know.

"Apparently, Team Galactic found it necessary to extract information regarding Mesprit from this boy…" Riley told her.

"Oh no! Are you okay, Dan?" Leaf cried and bent down to hug him.

But Dan didn't like getting hugged by anyone, especially not a girl, "Yuck, stop it!"

"Uh... sorry…" Leaf loosened her grip so that he could wiggle away.

"…I don't believe it! How did they know I went to find Mesprit with Dan? Are they tracking me or something?" Leaf asked as she looked around somewhat nervously.

"Not sure… But I'm assuming you didn't have your Lucario back then… If someone were following you or at least keeping surveillance on this area… you wouldn't have had a clue," Riley pointed out.

"I'm thirsty…" Dan complained.

"Okay… I guess we should take you back home now," Leaf shrugged.

After the lot of them walked Dan back to his house, Leaf sighed, "I can't believe this… I put him into danger…"

"You didn't know. Team Galactic is crueler than anyone would ever imagine…"

"What if something else happens to him?" Leaf looked worried.

"They're gone. Even a common thief knows not to rob the same store twice," Riley reasoned.

"…I hope you're right…" Leaf said quietly.

Meanwhile…

"I apologize, Master Cyrus, for failing you once again…" Mars bowed respectfully before her superior after she explained what had happened earlier today.

"It's no matter," Cyrus waved his hand lazily as if to brush the subject aside.

Mars looked shocked, "But, sir? The successful capture of the Legendary Lake Pokémon is vital for the success of our plans! We haven't even managed to capture a single one yet! How can you be so calm about this?"

"I've told you before, Mars. Emotions are pointless. Mere waste produced by imperfect minds. It is not necessary to fret over minor drawbacks…

"Besides," Cyrus smirked cruelly, "I have already figured out the perfect person who's willing to capture the Legendary Pokémon for us. She will handle the situation swiftly… and won't leave behind any messes for us to clean up…"

"Who are you referring to?" Mars wondered.

"Pokémon Hunter J of course…"

After lunch… Riley and Leaf flew off to Eterna City on Salamence. After they had landed, Knuckles immediately popped out of his Pokéball on his own just like last time.

Leaf looked around the quaint city, "There's a Gym here, isn't there?"

"That's right. It's just over there," Riley pointed, "You want to challenge the Gym Leader before we leave?"

"Definitely!" Leaf grinned, "This'll be great! Let's go!"

"Yo! Champ in the making! There you are! Ready to take on the Gym?" Pokéstalker grinned as he leaned against the Pokémon Statue outside the Gym.

"Oh, great… It's you again…" Leaf rolled her eyes. This guy was just too weird.

"Hey! No need to be rude!" he cried, but then Pokéstalker took notice of Lucario and seemingly forgot all about Leaf's comment, "Hey! That baby Pokémon you had has already evolved? How lucky!"

"Oh! Yay! A challenger!" an unfamiliar voice cried out suddenly. Leaf looked at the doorway to see a girl standing there, "I'm Gardenia! Did you come to challenge my Gym?"

"Yeah, that's right," Leaf smiled.

"Who's your boyfriend?" Pokéstalker lost interest in Knuckles and now had moved on to Riley, who had been standing around in the background the entire time.

"Yes! I'm ready to battle now!" Leaf said loudly to Gardenia.

Several minutes later, Leaf and Gardenia stood on the battlefield ready for their match. Knuckles blinked as the stadium lights flashed on to their brightest.

"The battle between Gardenia of Eterna City versus Leaf of Cerulean City is about to begin!" the announcer cried.

"Are you ready for this, Knuckles?" Leaf grinned at her Pokémon. Lucario smirked and nodded, eager for his first Gym battle.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Man, this chapter's short, but… I didn't want to start a gym battle and then have to end it in another chapter. Oh well.

Also, once I finish chapter thirty, I'm going to go through all my previous chapters and fix mistakes and whatnot. It shouldn't take long because there isn't anything major that I want to change, but there are a few stupid mistakes… like when I confused a Great Ball with an Ultra Ball… Yeah, sorry about that; Azelf was actually captured in an Ultra Ball NOT a Great Ball! Just erase that from your memory!

Also, I was wondering, is the Pokémon Hunter's name spelled like "Jay" or is it just supposed to be "J"?


	30. Chapter 30: Battle Gardenia

"Are you ready?" Leaf asked Knuckles. She was answered with an eager nod.

"Go, Cherubi!" Gardenia called out her first Pokémon. It was a cute little Pokémon that looked exactly like a tasty cherry.

"Aw~! It's so adorable!" Leaf gushed. Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"All Grass Types are the cutest Pokémon in the whole entire world!" Gardenia agreed with a grin.

Leaf raised an eyebrow at that. There had to be an ugly grass type out there somewhere, right? Like Tangela, for instance. Well, it wasn't exactly ugly per se, but it surely was pretty odd looking. It had purple worms growing out of it, for crying out loud. But, that didn't really matter right now, anyway…

"Okay!" Leaf snapped out her thoughts and looked determined, "You want to go first, Knuckles?"

Knuckles bounded to the center of the battlefield before Cherubi.

"Lucario, huh?" Gardenia commented, "Should be interesting…"

"Use Bone Rush," Leaf cried.

Knuckles produced his glowing bone between his paws and swung expertly at Cherubi. However, Cherubi was rather fast and dodged the brunt of the attack.

"Nice one, Cherubi," Gardenia grinned, "Now use Leech Seed!"

Cherubi shot out a seed at Lucario. This seed hit its target and immediately grew into small leafy vines that encircled Knuckles, not unlike a house covered in ivy. Leaf wasn't surprised; it made sense to use a move like that early in the battle. Knuckles, however, had never seen an attack like this, and frantically tried to rip the vines off of himself.

"No! That won't work!" Leaf called out to her Pokémon, "It'll just regrow again if you try to pull it off; just focus on the battle instead!"

"Well, if you won't take your move, we will!" Gardenia cried, "Use Magical Leaf, Cherubi!"

Cherubi shot several shining leaves at Knuckles, who was completely unprepared for the attack and took a direct hit.

From his seat up in the stands, Riley frowned. Things weren't going so well for Leaf at the moment…

Leaf groaned inwardly. She shouldn't have had Knuckles go first. Too late now, but she still wasn't going to lose this round. She was determined to win.

"Use Bone Rush again!" Leaf commanded.

Knuckles obeyed, but Cherubi was still too fast. Now was their chance.

"Use Force Palm! Quick!" Leaf cried. If Gardenia was going to cheat by attacking twice in a row like that, then so would she.

Cherubi wasn't expecting a new attack so soon, and suffered a Force Palm to the stomach.

"Not bad," Gardenia acknowledged, "But it's going to take more than that!"

Knuckles winced as Leech Seed drained some of his energy, while Cherubi danced a little at the joy of recovering some lost energy.

"Hang in there, Knuckles!" Leaf urged.

"Let's end this now! Prepare to use Solar Beam!" Gardenia called.

Cherubi stood very still as she gathered light from the sun filtering in through the large windows.

"Blast it!" Leaf growled. She had no idea if her Lucario could handle that one, "Use Bone Rush now!" she ordered.

Since Cherubi was distracted by trying to gather light, Knuckles was able to land a direct hit with Bone Rush. However, it wasn't enough to cause Cherubi to faint just yet.

"Solar Beam!" Gardenia smiled.

Knuckles managed not to take the brunt of the attack, but he was still barely able to stand in the end.

"Use Metal Claw!" Leaf cried. Knuckles was pretty tired, but she knew this one last push would do it.

Knuckles unleashed his glowing claws and sliced Cherubi, which caused the Pokémon to faint.

"Aw, too bad, Cherubi…" Gardenia recalled her Pokémon and let out her next one. It was a little leafy turtle Pokémon.

"Isn't he so cute?" Gardenia beamed at the sight of her Turtwig.

"Uh… Just 'cause my name's Leaf doesn't mean I love all grass types or something…" Leaf admitted.

"C'mon back, Knuckles," Leaf called as she reached for her next Pokéball. Knuckles returned to her side, and he looked really tired out, "You did great," Leaf petted his arm now that the leafy vines had magically disappeared.

"And now it's time for you, Blaze!" Leaf let out her Flareon.

"I'm not surprised that you're using a Fire type, but I have to say I haven't battled a Flareon before," Gardenia mused, "It's sort of cute, but Leafeon is much better."

"We'll see about that! Flareon, start with your Flamethrower!" Leaf cried. Blaze's flames licked Turtwig, but the Pokémon was fast enough to dodge most of the attack. Blast that Gardenia; why'd she have to have such fast, little Pokémon?

"Leech Seed, Turtwig!" Gardenia ordered. However, Blaze was pretty fast too, so the attack missed its target.

"Flamethrower!" Leaf called out. This was Blaze's most familiar attack. Leaf knew Turtwig wouldn't be able to dodge this reliable move forever. The attack wasn't a direct hit, but it was an improvement from last time. Each successive hit would slow Turtwig down more, Leaf was certain of it.

"Leech Seed!" Gardenia said again. This time, the attack hit its target, and the seed took root in Blaze's fiery fur, causing leafy vines to grow all over Blaze just like it had with Knuckles earlier.

"Ignore it, Blaze, and use Flamethrower again!" Leaf cried. This time, the attack hit head on, and Turtwig actually fainted.

"Great job, Blaze," Leaf smiled.

"You did your best, Turtwig," Gardenia recalled her Pokémon and pulled out a new Pokéball, "But now it's time for my toughest Pokémon to finish this battle!"

"Come out, Roserade!" Gardenia cried as she sent out a familiar Pokémon with blue and red roses for hands.

For once, Leaf had actually seen this Pokémon before. One of her sisters, Lily, had one. Lily was always the adventurous type, and she had actually been the first from their family to travel outside of Kanto. She was probably the only one of her siblings who had been to Sinnoh before Leaf.

"Okay, Blaze! Start with Fire Blast!" Leaf wanted to know how fast this Roserade was, and the best way to do that was to just take your chances and find out. Roserade dodged most of the attack, but it still caused a little damage.

"Go Roserade! Use your Poison Spikes!" Gardenia called. Unless she wanted her next Pokémon to be poisoned, Leaf wouldn't be able to switch out Blaze now.

It didn't matter to Leaf, though. She was confident that her Flareon would win this battle, "Use your Flamethrower!"

"Use Mega Drain!" Gardenia ordered. The damage from Blaze's Flamethrower was partially recovered from Roserade's Mega Drain. And of course, Leech Seed was still working to Roserade's advantage. Leaf would have to fix that.

"Use your Will-o-Wisp!" Leaf commanded. Roserade received a painful burn that would pretty much offset any recovery provided by Leech Seed. But there were still the recovery effects of Mega Drain… Leaf would have to end this quickly.

"Mega Drain again!" Gardenia cried.

"Fire Blast!" Leaf cried. Most of the attack missed. But one more Flamethrower should do it…hopefully…

"Poison Jab!" Gardenia commanded. The attack was powerful, but at least Blaze didn't get poisoned.

"Finish with Flamethrower!" Leaf cried. This attack hit the now tired Roserade, and the Pokémon fainted, "You did it!" Leaf beamed. She bent down to hug her Flareon who was now magically freed of Leech Seed since the battle was now over.

Much later, Leaf waited outside the gym with Riley, Knuckles, and the Pokéstalker. Leaf had decided to give Knuckles an Oran berry because he still looked pretty whipped, and she wanted to stave him off for a while until they had a chance to get to the Pokémon Center.

"You were great, Leaf," Riley complimented her.

"Thanks-!" Leaf was going to say more, but she was cut off by Pokéstalker cutting in.

"Yeah, but you still have a Long Way to go before you become Pokémon Champion!" Pokéstalker declared, "So, don't you dare get arrogant; it's a Trainer's greatest downfall!"

"Yeah, I know," Leaf rolled her eyes. She tried taking on the Elite Four before, and she knew that she still wasn't ready for that great of a challenge. She didn't need the Pokéstalker to tell her that.

"Here's your badge, Leaf!" Gardenia came out of the gym with her badge and grinned broadly.

"Thanks," Leaf smiled as she took and beheld her newest badge.

"…You know, I've been thinking," Gardenia looked thoughtful, "You two seem to be pretty tough trainers… do you mind doing a favor for me?"

"Um, sure, I guess so," Leaf looked at Riley and shrugged. He seemed willing to go for it too.

"Oh thank you!" Gardenia looked delighted, "Okay, so here's the deal… You see, many people have been complaining of a ghost causing problems over at the Old Chateau. As Gym Leader, it's my duty to take care of such problems, but…"

Gardenia looked embarrassed, "Um, you see, I've been _really _busy with my job lately, so I can't exactly find the time to go and check it out, so…"

"So… I was hoping you two might check into it for me…" Gardenia finished with a pleading look on her face.

"We'd love to help," Riley said with a slight smile.

"Yeah, just… where is the Old Chateau anyway?" Leaf asked.

"The Old Chateau is just within Eterna Forest."

"I know where that is," Riley said before Leaf could ask.

"Just remember, though, you have to go at night in order to see the ghosts," Gardenia reminded them.

"Cool, got it!" Leaf grinned. She wasn't afraid of any ghosts… Of course not!

"Thanks so much, you guys!" Gardenia beamed, "Good luck!"

After all that was over, Leaf and her friends wandered around the city looking for the Pokémon Center. Riley had just spotted it when…

"Professor Oak?" Leaf exclaimed. What on earth was Professor Oak doing here?

"Leaf!" Oak beamed, "I was hoping I'd run into you! How is your research coming along?"

"Um, fine, I guess," Leaf didn't really know how to explain all that had happened to her so far.

"Why don't you come over to my apartment?" Oak offered, "There's something I'd like to tell you about."

"Um, sure thing," Leaf answered, wondering what he had to say, "Oh, yeah, this is Riley," she introduced him.

"Oh, nice to meet you…" Oak looked at Riley thoughtfully as he seemed to recognize him, "Ah, now I see… You're the one who helped out Professor Carolina on Iron Island, aren't you?"

"That's right," Riley nodded as he shook the professor's hand. Leaf opened her mouth to introduce Oak, but Riley beat her to the punch, "And you don't have to tell me, I know about the famous Professor Oak!"

"Oh, my, I'm not that famous," Oak replied modestly.

"Oh yeah!" Leaf suddenly remembered, "I need you to take a look at my Pokédex, Professor! Mine's been actin' all crazy!" Then she realized how unintelligent she must have sounded just then, "I mean, it's not working properly…"

"I'll take a look at it once we reach my apartment," Oak promised.

Once they entered the apartment, Leaf looked around at all the boxes and miscellaneous research equipment everywhere, "So, why did you decide to come to Sinnoh anyway?"

"Oh, you know me! Whenever I'm offered an opportunity to discover new things about new Pokémon, I have to seize the opportunity!" Oak chattered as he busily set aside some boxes to make room at the table.

"But at any rate, have a seat, have a seat!" Oak gestured to the free chairs. Leaf sat down across from Oak, and Riley took the seat beside her. Knuckles just stood because he was pretty much at eye level with everyone now.

"Now, you know about the three legendary bird Pokémon, correct?" Oak looked rather excited like a little boy telling his favorite ghost story around the campfire.

"Yeah, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, right?" Leaf supplied, "What about them?"

"Well, I heard word that a few trainers have caught sight of them, here, in Sinnoh!" Oak finished with an excited look on his face.

"Really?" Leaf exclaimed, "What are they doing here?"

"I don't know," Oak shrugged animatedly, "The world of Pokémon is full of mysteries! This is why researching is so fascinating to me…"

"Ah, but," Oak was suddenly jolted from his thoughts, "Normally, I'd ask you to look into this, but since you're so busy with your research for Rowan, I won't bother you with it."

"But if I see them, I'll surely tell you all about it!" Leaf grinned. This was great! It would be amazing if she managed to see one of them!

"So, how is your research coming along?" Oak asked, "You haven't told me anything about it lately…"

"Well… I've been kind of busy…" Leaf nervously played with her hair to distract herself from fully answering the question.

"Oh, of course! I bet you are!" Oak beamed, "And I've been rather busy as well…"

"Um, so anyway, will you look at my Pokédex?" Leaf asked and quickly held it out before he could start on some long-winded story.

"Oh, yes, let me see here now…" Oak fiddled with the Pokédex for a long time until he finally seemed to figure out the malfunction.

"Aha! I see the problem now!" Oak looked up from the dex and grinned at Leaf, "Now, Leaf, when was the last time you changed your pokédex's batteries?"

"Batteries?" Leaf exclaimed, "You mean, all this time all I needed was some blasted batteries!"

"Apparently so," Oak chuckled, "I think I may have an extra pair in the back somewhere… but it may be under a few boxes… Riley? Would you mind giving me a hand?"

"Certainly," Riley said politely and got up to follow the professor.

"Oh, hello, Pikachu," Oak said absentmindedly as a Pikachu ran out into the kitchen past him.

"Aww! A Pikachu!" Leaf exclaimed. She had never seen one that looked this cute before, "Can I hold him, Professor?"

"Of course, she's rather friendly," Oak agreed before disappearing into the back rooms.

Leaf picked up the chubby Pikachu and hugged her, "Aww! You're such a cutie!" Leaf gushed. Pikachu seemed to like the attention for a while, but it got old pretty fast. She didn't want to be hugged for this long…

"PikaaaCHUUUUU!" Pikachu squeezed her cheeks and unleashed an electrifying thundershock attack.

"Oh… man…" Leaf groaned and froze in place. That was pretty painful, and not to mention her long brown hair was now standing on end…

Pikachu leaped out of Leaf's arms and landed on the table. She licked her paws delicately like nothing had happened. Knuckles snarled angrily at her audacity. How dare this fat blob attack his trainer like that?

"No, Lucario! No! Seriously!" Leaf begged. She really didn't need one of her Pokémon to totally cream the professor's Pokémon. She'd lose her job!

Knuckles ignored Leaf. His aura pulsating, anger was clearly taking over.

"Lucario, no! Don't attack the Pikachu!" Leaf cried as she grabbed him from behind and clung on for dear life. Knuckles struggled to break free, but he didn't want to hurt Leaf in the process of doing so, so he held back a little. Only a little.

"Promise you won't attack Pikachu!" Leaf demanded as she desperately clung onto her Pokémon, "Promise!"

In the meantime, Pikachu watched the show with a little smirk. She then stuck out her tongue and made faces at Lucario. This just made him angrier and that much harder for Leaf to hold him back. It was a good thing Knuckles was pretty tired from that battle with Gardenia, or else Leaf would have a full on brawl to contend with here. Maybe giving him that Oran berry earlier was a stupid idea after all…

"What is GOING ON here?" Oak exclaimed loudly. Pikachu ran over to him pouting.

"What are you doing, Leaf?" Riley asked as he stared blankly at her manhandling her Lucario.

"Nothing," Leaf immediately let go of Knuckles and held her hands behind her back with embarrassment, "I totally wasn't trying to stop Knuckles from utterly annihilating Pikachu or anything like that…"

"Well, Leaf, I must ask you not to allow your Pokémon to upset my Pikachu," Oak said sternly. Pikachu stuck out her tongue at Lucario again before disappearing back to wherever she came from.

"I'm sorry, Professor; it won't happen again," Leaf said quietly and bowed her head respectfully. Knuckles growled and turned away.

"I should hope not," Oak looked stern.

oOoOoOo

Notes: I suppose I'm going with Hunter J instead of Jay because that seems to be correct, I think. Thanks to amichalap for pointing that out!

I finished editing chapter one. Mostly, I just fixed some misspelling and other minor errors, though. The chapter itself is pretty short, but I just meant for it to be an introduction of sorts.

I figure that from now on, for every new chapter I add in, I go back and edit an old chapter. That seems to even it out so I'm not editing forever and ever. And I still get to send out new stuff for you guys to read. I think that should work perfectly.


	31. Chapter 31: Aura Within You

Uxie awoke with a start in a brilliant flash of light. He blinked, at first uncertain as to why he had been awakened from his long slumber. Or, perhaps he didn't blink because he refuses to reveal his eyes. Or maybe he doesn't have any eyes… It must be one of those mysteries of the Pokémon world that Professor Oak always mentions.

Uxie looked around his empty cavern thoughtfully. He then realized that he could not sense his brother Azelf. He honed his senses carefully. Lake Valor… Azelf's home… utterly destroyed… Yes, all was not right.

Uxie felt his sister's presence. She was not at her home, Lake Verity. Perhaps she was awakened as well and had gone to search for Azelf. Uxie knew that he must speak with her at once.

"Narrrr!" a sharp cry echoed in Uxie's cavern. Uxie looked up in alarm but was still promptly knocked to the ground by intruders. Four Sharpedo had slammed into him with the force of their combined Aqua Jet attacks.

"Well done, Sharpedo!" a woman's voice cried out sharply.

Uxie sat up and glared at the intruders as menacingly as he could, given that he had his eyes closed.

"Now… hold still…" Hunter J coaxed as she lifted an arm to which an unfamiliar weapon was attached.

Uxie continued to glare at the woman riding a Salamence, as if daring her to shoot a Pokéball at him this soon. He was not worn out by that cheap and pathetic attack. He would pop out of her Pokéball as soon as she threw it at him. But, Uxie was mistaken. When Uxie was shot by this weapon, he was not encased in a Pokéball as he had imagined; rather, he was transformed into a statue, frozen where he stood.

"That was too easy," Hunter J scoffed as she flew out of the cavern on her Salamence, "Retrieve the target!" she shouted to her men as she returned to her ship, "Although… I am told things will only get more difficult from here on out," J smirked. She welcomed the challenge. None would best her.

Meanwhile…

"And here's your Pokédex," Oak said proudly and handed the device back to Leaf, "It should be working perfectly fine now!"

"Thanks," Leaf beamed and flipped it open.

"Riolu. The Emanation Pokémon," the familiar voice droned, "'The Aura that emanates from this Pokémon intensifies if it is afraid or sad to alert others of its condition."

"Aww. That's a little behind the behind the times, huh?" Leaf giggled as she looked at her Lucario, "But I'm glad it works again. Thanks again, Professor."

"No problem at all," Oak nodded before glancing up at the clock on his wall, "Oh, my! Is that the time? I'd better get going or I'll be late!"

"Late for what?" Leaf blinked.

"I have an important meeting with several other professors, Pokémon scholars, and the like… Where are you, Pikachu?" Oak ran around frantically, looking for his yellow menace.

"Well, I guess we'd better leave…" Leaf began and then shrugged at Riley since the professor had already disappeared.

"Oh, yes, yes; thank you for coming!" Oak returned hastily and led them out.

"No problem, professor," Leaf shrugged.

"So… off to the Pokémon Center then?" Riley finally said once they were alone again.

"Yeah, let's go," Leaf agreed. The three of them finally reached the Pokémon Center, and Leaf asked the Nurse Joy there to heal up Knuckles and Flareon.

No matter how many Nurse Joys Leaf ran into on her travels, she still couldn't entirely become used to how eerily similar they all were. Did they all participate in some cloning experiment…? It was creepy just to think about it. And yet, Leaf always trusted for her Pokémon to be cared for by these women… Eh, what choice did she have? Nurse Joy's services were always free after all.

"So, Riley," Leaf exhaled as she sat down on the bench beside him, "You never finished telling me about what happened on Iron Island…"

"Oh, yeah; you're right!" Riley suddenly remembered, "Uh… where did I leave off?"

"Ummm… Oh! You were saying that your Lucario got affected by negative energy… and went crazy just like all the other steel types…"

"Oh, right…" Riley remembered now, "So, anyhow… I managed to deflect Lucario's attacks with my Aura shield, but then he just started attacking other innocent wild Pokémon…

"So, I tried to call him back into his Pokéball to stop him from rampaging, but he sliced it in half with his Bone Rush attack…" Riley continued.

"Dang…" Leaf was really interested in this story, "Rogue Lucario…"

"Yeah, you bet…" Riley shook his head just thinking about it, "I wound up asking Ash to get his Pikachu to knock Lucario out with a Thundershock, but it didn't work… Lucario then went after the machine that was the source of all the problems on Iron Island. He was knocked out by Team Galactic, but Ash and the others managed to destroy it. Once it was destroyed, the steel Pokémon returned to normal, but Team Galactic had another surprise in store for us… Turns out, they planted bombs in the mines. Lucario and I combined our Aura to contain the blast and release it into the sky…"

"Wow, you used Aura to hold back a _bomb_?" Leaf was incredulous.

"Of course," Riley smiled, "You'd be surprised by how powerful the Aura inside you can become."

"Man, I wish I could do stuff that amazing…" Leaf sighed as she thought of what it might be like to have Lucario powers.

"I could show you how, if you want," Riley smiled at her.

"Really? You mean you can teach me to use Aura?" Leaf asked excitedly.

"Of course," Riley nodded, "I believe anyone can use Aura. We all have the power inside of us. It just takes some skill and practice to bring it out and manipulate it…"

Riley looked at her suddenly, "Of course, I don't want you to think you can stop bombs right away or anything like that!"

"Yeah, I know I'll never be that great," Leaf agreed, "But I think it would be fun to just try using Aura… if I can manage to do it."

"I'm sure you will," Riley smiled again.

"Well…" Leaf looked at Riley expectantly, "we've still gotta wait around for nightfall before we can go to the Old Chateau, so… do you think you can teach me now?"

"Sure," Riley agreed, "I suppose we can start by just bringing out your Aura, like this," Riley held out his hand and produced a small ball of glowing, shining energy in his palm. It was a brilliant shade of blue.

"Okay… so how do I do that?" Leaf asked as she held out her empty hand.

"Just focus on the energies flowing inside your body… focus and try to bring that energy to your hand…" Riley explained and took her hand in his to better gauge the flow of her Aura.

Leaf closed her eyes and focused hard. But nothing was happening.

"You're trying too hard… It should come naturally… Just relax…"

Leaf sighed deeply and concentrated more gently. She was just starting to feel an odd sensation in her hand when…

"Excuse me…?" Nurse Joy interrupted. She had a weird look on her face as she gazed at Leaf.

"WHAT? What _is_ it?" Leaf snapped, angry at being interrupted.

"Oh, I'm sorry… um… Were you meditating….?" Joy looked confused.

"Yeah, whatever. I guess you could say that," Leaf rolled her eyes in annoyance but then took notice of her Pokémon standing behind Joy, "Oh, you're all better now! That's great!"

"Yes, your Pokémon are doing much better now!" Joy smiled.

"Thank you!" Leaf said to Joy as she hugged Blaze.

"No problem," Joy answered and then carefully edged away from the two weirdoes.

"Hey! Knuckles! Guess what?" Leaf said excitedly after she had recalled Flareon, "Riley's showing me how to use Aura!"

Knuckles' eyes widened.

"So, let's have a little friendly competition to see who learns how to use Aura Sphere first: you or me!" Leaf grinned.

Riley laughed at that. Knuckles smirked. It was on.

"Okay, but first, I have to see if I can even form it in my hand…" Leaf admitted and went back to concentrating.

"…You're close… I can feel it…" Riley said after a while.

"…It's not working…" Leaf said finally.

"Let's try again later," Riley suggested, "It's not easy bringing out your Aura for the first time."

"Yeah, I guess…" Leaf was disappointed, "I guess I've gotta check my emails soon anyway. It's been awhile, and people might be worried."

"Don't worry about it," Riley told her, "You'll be able to bring out your Aura someday soon. It won't be long." Leaf fished out her laptop and Riley started to get up, "I'm going to take a walk."

"Don't you have any emails or anything?" Leaf wondered.

"No," Riley was about to leave.

"You aren't going to make a phone call to your parents, even?" Leaf asked. She couldn't see his face anymore, but he shook his head.

Leaf shrugged at Knuckles, who sat down where Riley had been. Riley sure was a mystery to her. Maybe he didn't have any close family or friends…

Leaf decided to let it rest for now. Maybe it was better for him not to talk about it. She went about her business and wrote to her parents and siblings. She decided to leave poor Rowan in the dark about everything because she didn't want to get into all the details about Azelf right now. It was just too much for her at the moment. It was like sweeping all the dust underneath the rug… She'd deal with it later.

Knuckles watched Leaf's fingers work at lightning speed. Why did she have to hit all those buttons so fast? What did that mysterious machine do anyway? He remembered watching people talk to Leaf through it, but now there weren't any people in there.

He then noticed some pictures that would appear on the side of the screen. There were numerous photos of a young Leaf with various people and Pokémon he didn't entirely recognize. That one with a Squirtle must have been Blastoise before he had evolved. He looked surprised to then see a photo of her at her present age hugging him as a Riolu. He could barely remember taking that picture. He was even more surprised to see a photo of that flower he had given her long ago. After seeing so many old photos scroll past, he didn't expect to see any that pertained to him.

"Well, that should be it," Leaf said somewhat triumphantly, "They all know I'm going on a long trip now, so I shouldn't be bothered for a while… They meaning my family," Leaf clarified after seeing Knuckles' confused face.

"So… now that my Pokédex is fixed, we can finally figure out what moves you know and figure out which ones would be best for you to use in battle…" Leaf said as she put her laptop away and pulled out her Pokédex.

"Let's see now…" Leaf checked Knuckles' move list on the Pokédex, and she was surprised to see that he knew Me First now. She would definitely want him to keep that one. After careful consideration, she decided to get rid of Counter and leave the rest of his moves the same for now.

"Well… what do ya say we go look for Riley now?" Leaf suggested after she put her pokédex away and got up to leave. Knuckles merely nodded before getting up to follow her out.

"Okay… so where is he?" Leaf wondered and proceeded to wander around the city aimlessly. Knuckles grunted and indicated the right direction. He could sense exactly where Riley was. Leaf felt a little sheepish once she recalled that he could use Aura to figure it out for her. At any rate, she followed him and found Riley wandering around a random roadway.

"So… you got bored and went to buy a chocolate bar?" Leaf smirked when they finally caught up with her friend. It seemed a little unlike him to be eating candy.

"No, I already had this with me," Riley explained. He broke off a piece and offered it to Leaf.

"Thanks," Leaf accepted it. Then he broke off another piece for her Lucario and held it out for him.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Leaf snapped as she snatched the chocolate out of Knuckles' hands and held it up well out of his reach.

"What?" Riley was taken aback.

"You can't give Lucario chocolate! What if he dies from it?" Leaf exclaimed.

"What…? What are you talking about?" Riley asked, clearly confused.

"Well, you know; if you give dog-like Pokémon chocolate, they die from it because their digestive systems can't handle it… or something…"

"Well, I've given my Lucario chocolate before, and he's completely fine…" Riley pointed out, "I don't know about dog types, but I'm certain that Lucario aren't that way…"

"Okay, fine…" Leaf gave in and returned the piece to Knuckles.

"So… what should we do now?" Leaf wondered aloud after all the chocolate was gone.

"Maybe we should eat some dinner and then head out for the Old Chateau," Riley suggested, "We might want to get there early so that we don't miss any of the ghosts…"

"Yeah… we sure wouldn't want to miss that…" Leaf said sarcastically.

"Are you scared?" Riley asked.

"Of course not!" Leaf crossed her arms defiantly, "My Pokémon are far stronger than any measly ghost types!"

"Well then, we have nothing to worry about," Riley said confidently as he led the way to a good restaurant he knew of.


	32. Chapter 32: The Old Chateau

"Well, here we are…" Leaf said hesitantly when the three stood outside of Eterna Forest. There were so many trees that it was incredibly dark even though it was still rather early in the evening. A lone Noctowl called out solemnly, "Ominous, huh?" she giggled in a feeble attempt to hide her uneasiness.

"You don't have to be afraid," Riley assured her.

"I'm not!" Leaf cried indignantly. Blast that Riley and his Aura senses!

"Well, if that's the case, let's get going then," Riley sounded out and followed after Knuckles who had already headed off into the wild brush. Leaf sighed and hurried after them.

"So… where is this Old Chateau, anyway?" Leaf asked as she pulled open her map to inspect it carefully after they had managed to become completely lost in the endless maze of trees.

"You have the worst map ever," Riley couldn't help but say as he glanced at it over her shoulder.

"I know, right?" Leaf rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Where's yours?"

"I didn't bring one," he admitted. Knuckles growled and strained to see the map himself.

"You can't even read, Knuckles," Leaf pointed out, but lowered the map for him to see all the same.

"Chansey!" a voice piped up from out of nowhere.

Leaf jumped in surprise and almost dropped the map, "What the-? What was that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," a woman's voice spoke softly as she pulled aside the branches hiding her from view, "My Chansey always gets excited at the opportunity of making new friends…"

"Who ARE you?" Leaf demanded to know, hoping that she wasn't a ghost in human form or something.

"I'm Cheryl," the woman said kindly and offered her hand to shake.

"Hi, I'm Riley," Riley shook her hand politely.

"I'm Leaf," Leaf added, "But… what are you doing in out in the woods anyway?"

"Well," Cheryl began, "I've heard rumors of a rare Pokémon hiding out at the Old Chateau, so I came out to see for myself if they're true."

"Rare Pokémon?" Riley repeated, "We've just heard that there are ghosts…"

"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of them, too," Cheryl admitted.

"Only one way to find out, I guess…" Leaf shrugged, "We were heading there as well; so do you want to stick together and try to find this rare Pokémon with us, Cheryl?"

"I thought we were going to stop the ghosts," Riley reminded her.

"Yeah, that too," Leaf agreed albeit reluctantly, "So… what do ya say, Cheryl?"

"Sure! Why not?" Cheryl agreed. Her Chansey smiled and danced a little in joy at the fact that she had made a few new friends.

The five of them wandered around Eterna Forest together for quite some time until they finally beheld the Old Chateau. It looked like a freaky, haunted, old mansion that looked ready to fall apart any day now. Most of the windows were either boarded up or smashed, and the whole area seemed to be covered in ominous fog.

"Yeah… this place isn't creepy at all…" Leaf shuddered.

"It's already dark, so we'd better keep moving…" Riley pointed out.

"…Now that we're actually here… I have to admit… I'm pretty freaked out right about now…" Leaf squeaked from behind Knuckles.

"Oh, come on; there's nothing to be afraid of," Cheryl smiled.

"Don't worry about it, Leaf," Riley echoed.

Leaf looked down at Knuckles, who gave her a reassuring smile, "Fine… let's just get it over with…" she sighed.

The five of them made their way towards the creepy old building. Several Hoothoot and Noctowl glared at them forebodingly. What scared Leaf the most was that they didn't make a single sound. No hooting, no calling, just piercing stares…

Riley pulled on the door hard, practically needing to force it open, "…We're in," he said finally.

The three trainers and the Pokémon gazed around the foyer hesitantly. There wasn't a sound to be heard. It was eerily empty, as if someone were waiting for them to make the first move. Leaf gazed up with uncertainty at the dusty old chandelier with several cobwebs draping over it like an old, withered veil. This place must have been beautiful once upon a time… Too bad that wasn't the case anymore…

"We should split up," Cheryl announced suddenly. She indicated all the doors upstairs and the expansive one on the ground floor before them in one sweeping motion of her arm, "There's a lot of ground to cover here, and we're going to have to search the entire place if we want to find that rare Pokémon."

"Are you CRAZY?" Leaf exclaimed from her hiding place behind Knuckles, "Haven't you ever SEEN a horror movie before? That's when the ghosts attack you! The moment you decide to split up with your friends is their chance to strike!"

"Yeah… Maybe splitting up isn't such a great idea…" Riley agreed, "But, honestly, Leaf," he turned to her, "You've got to calm down… Nothing is going to attack us."

"I'm completely calm!" Leaf shot back.

"Right…" Riley decided to just let it be for now, "…Well then, where should we head first?"

"How about that big door just ahead?" Cheryl shrugged nonchalantly.

The five of them walked beyond the grand staircases and headed for said door. Just beside the door laid a fearsome statue. Leaf stared at it hesitantly. It made her feel uneasy…

"Hmm… What a creepy statue…" Cheryl commented as they all stopped for a moment to gaze at it.

"It almost looks like it's glaring at us…" Riley added.

Knuckles quietly snarled at it while Chansey edged closer to her trainer for comfort.

"Let's just keep going…" Leaf shook her head to get rid of her uneasiness. She gave up hiding behind her Pokémon for now to join Cheryl and Riley as they attempted to open the door to make their way to the next room.

After a few unsuccessful attempts, Riley and the others finally managed to push open the doors. They entered the room to find that they had reached a large dining room with a long, grand table similar to one you'd find at say, a wizarding school. Leaf was relieved to see that the room was empty until…

Both Cheryl and Leaf screamed loudly at the sight of a ghostly figure that appeared just across the table from the three Trainers. The ghostly figure turned at the sound of their screams and glared at them menacingly for several seconds before promptly walking away and disappearing into the wall leading to the kitchen.

"W-who are you…?" Riley managed to ask before the ghost disappeared entirely.

"Riley? What the Heatran? You can't _talk_ with a ghost!" Leaf shrieked as she gripped his arm.

Knuckles, meanwhile, had missed the entire thing because he had been too busy growling at the blasted statue this whole time. Once he heard Leaf's scream, he hurried to the others, only to be too short to see much of anything that had happened. Once Knuckles finally got past the frightened trainers, he ran through the dining room to the kitchen where the ghost must have disappeared. However, the ghostly man was no longer there, and the room was empty.

"Good… He's gone…" Leaf sighed with relief when she heard Knuckles' affirmative cry. It was then that she realized she had grabbed and held Riley's arm like a frightened little girl the entire time. Now that she felt safe, she had time to feel embarrassed about it. She didn't worry about it too much though, since Cheryl had done the exact same thing, and Riley didn't seem to have noticed or become bothered by it.

"Who do you suppose that was?" Cheryl asked once they had all calmed down.

"A butler… maybe," Riley shrugged.

"Well… whoever it was, it was a ghost!" Leaf cried.

The three trainers glanced at each other uneasily while Chansey began to wail. It couldn't have been a ghost, could it? Ghosts aren't real…

"Don't cry, Chansey," Cheryl soothed, "We'll find that rare Pokémon; don't you worry…"

"Uh, I think Chansey's crying because she just saw a ghost! Not because you haven't found a rare Pokémon!" Leaf pointed out.

"There's no such thing…" Cheryl shook her head.

"What! How can you say that? We SAW it right there! It wasn't even that long ago!" Leaf exclaimed.

"That's just your imagination!" Cheryl argued.

"_Imagination_!" Leaf was irritated now, "Oh, then I must have _imagined_ you screaming when you saw that ghost!"

"Ladies… please…" Poor Riley just wanted peace, and he didn't know how to get it without upsetting them further.

"RO-TOM!" a strange voice bellowed.

The five people and Pokémon froze and slowly turned to face the kitchen.

"ROTOM!" the voice shrieked.

All of a sudden, a giant stove bounced into view and turned to face these intruders, "Ro-TOOOOM!" it shrieked and unleashed a dazzling spout of flames headed straight for them.

The three trainers screamed and shouted while they ran for their lives as their two Pokémon hurried after them. Knuckles wasn't the type to run from a fight, but a haunted machine spouting flames wasn't exactly something he wanted to fight at the moment. Fire was not something he admired. As for Chansey, the poor overweight Pokémon with tiny legs did her best to scurry after the comparatively lithe and agile trainers. It definitely wasn't the most enjoyable time of her life…

"Up here!" Riley urged and allowed the others to run up the stairs before him.

"Aw, man… I didn't think that even the appliances were haunted!" Leaf moaned as she hurried up the stairs.

Once they all reached the top, the three trainers peered over the edge, waiting cautiously for the haunted stove to arrive. When it did not appear, they were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Phew… luckily for us, it decided not to chase us…" Leaf sank to the ground to catch her breath.

"Let's not go down there again for a while…" Cheryl agreed as she sat down beside Leaf.

"Agreed," Riley sat down as well.

"…Hey… do you suppose _that_ was the rare Pokémon?" Cheryl wondered aloud.

"It couldn't be… could it?" Leaf raised an eyebrow.

"Not sure…" Riley shook his head, "But, I'll tell you one thing: I've never seen a Pokémon like _that_ before…"

"We could always go back… and I'll have my Blastoise douse his flames," Leaf suggested.

"Let's wait on that for now," Cheryl hugged her knees, "Somehow, I'm not too eager to go after that thing again so soon…"

"Right," Riley nodded, "And besides, we haven't even looked around up here yet."

"…Do we _want _to?" Leaf asked as she gazed at the door leading to the rooms beyond. Not a single sound was to be heard.

Chansey hugged Cheryl and whimpered.

"Don't worry, Chansey, we'll be fine…" Cheryl stroked her Pokémon gently.

"We can check that out later," Leaf declared and stood up. If that haunted stove really was a rare Pokémon, she would go after it now, "It doesn't really sound like there's anything up here, so I say we follow whatever lead we have until the bitter end!"

"Go, Vegeta!" Leaf cried out and tossed her Pokéball down below. Vegeta appeared in a flash of red light and roared triumphantly.

"Vegeta?" Leaf called, "There's a fiery little trouble maker down there; you mind teaching him a lesson for us?"

"Blastoise!" Vegeta shouted out proudly.

"This is wonderful!" Cheryl giggled, "We won't have _anything_ to worry about with _this_ Pokémon protecting us!"

Knuckles sniffed rather loudly and folded his arms over his chest with an annoyed look on his face.

"C'mon," Leaf headed down the stairs, "Time to find out if that really _is_ a rare Pokémon down there…"

The other trainers and Pokémon followed after her, and then the six of them made their way back to the dining hall. Once they cautiously reentered, they were surprised to see that the haunted stove was nowhere in sight.

"The stove's right here, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it now," Riley observed when they entered the kitchen.

"That's weird…" Leaf recalled Vegeta for now and raised an eyebrow at the now dormant stove. This place was strange.

"Maybe it really was our imaginations…" Cheryl said softly.

"I doubt it," Leaf huffed. No one could have hallucinations that realistic.

"It doesn't matter," Riley wasn't eager for more arguing, "Let's just keep looking for that Pokémon…"

"Ah, so even you have given up on stopping the ghosts," Leaf smirked.

"Not exactly," Riley shook his head, "Think about it; this rare Pokémon Cheryl mentioned might be a ghost type. This Pokémon may be the one causing all the ghost problems here."

"Maybe…" Leaf shrugged.

The trainers and their Pokémon then headed upstairs to the second floor for more investigation. The entire floor seemed eerily quiet, and Leaf was nervous just thinking about what monstrosities could pop up at any moment. After seeing a haunted stove, anything was possible…

But after several hours of searching the empty, abandoned rooms, the group seemed ready to give up. The place was creepy to be sure, but there didn't seem to be signs of a rare Pokémon here at all.

"Let's try this last room one more time," Leaf was saying as she opened the last door. She froze in fear at the sight beyond the door.

The ghostly outline of a little girl was visible in the center of the room. She turned to face Leaf, "I… will…not… leave… This… is… _my_... house…" her soft voice hissed quietly.

Leaf screamed and turned to run away, but wound up bumping straight into Riley instead.

"WAAAAH!" the little ghost girl cried as she flew toward them and disappeared in a haze.

Leaf screamed and clung to Riley desperately because she knew she was done for now.

"Leaf!_ Leaf_! _LEAF_! You're fine! Stop screaming! It's gone now!" Riley cried.

"What?" Leaf blinked. Surely, she was dead now, right?

"…You're fine," Riley assured her.

Leaf blinked as she looked around at all the blank faces staring back at her, "Oh my god… I'm so sorry… I completely freaked out, didn't I?" Leaf said sheepishly after she had quickly backed away from Riley. Once she moved aside, Knuckles was finally able to get past them and check out the room for himself.

"It's alright…" Cheryl soothed and patted Leaf's arm, "You were just scared is all…"

Meanwhile, Knuckles tore the room apart looking for the ghost that hassled Leaf. But, there wasn't anything there…

"You saw the ghost too, didn't you?" Leaf asked Riley.

"Yeah… and I saw it disappear too…"

"Just great… so now I don't have to add going crazy to the list of all the terrible things that have happened to me in one single night that hasn't even gotten over with yet!" Leaf exclaimed all in one breath.

"Maybe we should leave…" Cheryl said as she gazed at her worried Chansey.

"No," Leaf shook her head. In spite of everything that had happened so far, she still couldn't quench that unwavering curiosity about the rare Pokémon, "We still have to find that Pokémon! We've already spent this much time here, so we might as well see it through to the bitter end!"


	33. Chapter 33: Rotom

Knuckles knocked over the last bookcase with displeasure on his face. The blasted ghost was nowhere to be found!

"Okay, are you finished destroying the place?" Leaf put her hands on her hips. Her Pokémon was definitely out of control, but she supposed it didn't matter much, considering no one lived here anyway.

"I guess you can never be too thorough…" Riley shrugged. Maybe Knuckles might be able to find the rare Pokémon.

"Let's just get out of here and start looking somewhere else," Leaf suggested.

"Like where? We've already searched every room," Cheryl pointed out.

"We'll check them again; this Pokémon can't hide from us forever!" Leaf declared.

"There's no harm in trying," Riley shrugged, "We made a promise to the Gym Leader to take care of the ghost causing trouble, we can't back down now."

"Alright then, we'll keep looking," Cheryl agreed, apparently quite easily convinced, "But I still think we'd do better if we split up."

"I told you that that is a stupid idea!" Leaf exclaimed, "Do you WANT to be attacked by another haunted stove?"

"Please!" Riley said loudly, "Let's not start another argument! Let's just keep moving! No sense in just standing around arguing!"

The group of five continued on their search for the rare Pokémon. After a while, even Leaf began to wonder if the rumors were true. Maybe there really wasn't a rare Pokémon here after all…

"At this rate, we'll have stayed up the entire night before we find this Pokémon…" Cheryl sighed as the three trainers paused in one of the bedrooms.

"We'll find it eventually," Riley replied, trying his best to be optimistic, "We've still got several more hours until dawn…"

"Yeah, but do we even want to continue wandering around aimlessly for that long?" Leaf rolled her eyes. This was getting old.

Meanwhile, Knuckles seemed interested in the TV for some reason and walked over to it to get a closer look. Upon closer inspection, he could more easily sense a very peculiar aura emanating from it. He grunted loudly to get Leaf's attention, but she was too busy arguing with the other trainers to notice him.

"Yeah? What is it, Knuckles?" Leaf asked distractedly when she noticed him tugging gently on her arm and frantically waving his other arm toward the TV.

"Yeah, what? It's just an old TV. Don't worry about it," Leaf answered distractedly and tried to wave him off so that she could continue her conversation.

Knuckles gave an exasperated yelp and let go of Leaf's arm. Feeling defeated, he sadly glanced over at the TV again, and this time he saw a little Pokémon onscreen grinning at him. Knuckles let out a startled cry, and frantically tried to get Leaf's attention again.

"Aah! What _is_ it, Knuckles?" Leaf cried as her Pokémon practically dragged her over to the TV.

Leaf merely blinked at the now blank TV screen. It was just an old TV that probably didn't even work anymore. Why was Knuckles getting so excited over it?

Knuckles was clearly trying to tell her something about this TV, but he was speaking so fast that she couldn't really understand him.

"What? You want to watch TV?" Leaf guessed. She twisted the old-fashioned 'POWER' dial in an effort to turn on the TV. She kept twisting, but the TV refused to turn on.

"Huh, must be broken…" Leaf said to herself. She then banged the side of the TV with her arm. The moment she did so, a tiny red and bluish Pokémon zapped out of the TV and zipped around the room like a little electric spark.

Leaf screamed and covered her head as she ducked to the ground, fearful that she might get zapped. Riley and Cheryl looked shocked and ducked for cover themselves until the tiny Pokémon zipped out of the room.

"…What was that…?" Cheryl asked quietly, still covering her head. Chansey whimpered beside her. In all the confusion, Chansey had slipped and fallen to the ground. She writhed uncomfortably on the floor, clearly unable to get up on her own.

Leaf carefully reached in her bag for her Pokédex to confirm her suspicions.

"Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon," the Pokédex's mechanical voice stated.

"Aha!" Leaf cried triumphantly once the Pokédex finished its spiel, "So _that_ was the rare Pokémon! And now, _I'm _going to catch it!" she grinned resolutely as she pulled out a Pokéball.

"Not fair! I want to catch it!" Cheryl frowned.

"No way!" Leaf argued, "Knuckles is the one who found it, and since he's _my_ Pokémon,_ I_ get to catch Rotom!"

Riley sighed. This was certainly turning out to be a long night indeed, "Why would either of you even _want_ that Pokémon anyway? Seems to me like all it wants to do is cause trouble."

"Did you even _see_ that Pokémon?" Leaf rounded on him, "That Pokémon was one of the _cutest_ ones I've ever seen!"

"Oh brother…" Riley sighed.

"C'mon, Knuckles! We've gotta hurry! We've wasted too much time already! Rotom's gonna get away!" Leaf cried and ran out of the room with Knuckles on her heels.

"Oh no you don't!" Cheryl hurried after her with poor Chansey tripping over her own two feet trying desperately to keep up. Riley sighed again before running after them.

"There he is!" Leaf cried once she reached the foyer. She pointed up at the chandelier where Rotom was madly whizzing about like a wired hummingbird on too much caffeine.

Knuckles growled loudly at Rotom to get the Pokémon's attention and smirked at his newest challenger. Rotom stopped zipping around and hovered above them, watching them both carefully. He then accumulated a mass of electrical energy and shot it straight for Knuckles.

"Use Me First!" Leaf commanded. Knuckles' fur prickled with a considerable amount of static electricity. The steel type growled before somehow releasing that energy in Rotom's direction.

Both Pokémon were hit by a Discharge attack. Both looked considerably weakened, but surely not down for the count yet.

"Oh, Chansey! Quick! Use your Egg Bomb!" Cheryl cried once she finally arrived and caught sight of the battle.

"Hey!" Leaf scowled, "I found Rotom first! So, butt out!"

Rotom giggled at the Egg Bomb attack that sorely missed its target.

"Go, Knuckles! Use your Metal Claw!" Leaf ordered. She wasn't about to let Cheryl steal this one from her! In one quick motion, Knuckles leaped onto the railing, and from there, lunged at Rotom, slicing him with his claws.

"Hah! Take that!" Leaf cried as she threw an Ultra Ball at the weakened Rotom, hoping and crossing her fingers that she had him.

"Oh no…" Cheryl whined as she watched the Pokéball twitch. Ding!

"Did you catch him?" Riley asked as he peered down at the Pokéball.

"Yes!" Leaf cried ecstatically and held out her new Pokémon proudly before it promptly disappeared to Oak's lab.

"It's all thanks to you, Knuckles!" Leaf grinned and hugged her Lucario. Cheryl just sighed.

"Wow, whoever watches over your extra Pokémon is definitely going to have a hard time caring for that one," Riley commented.

"Yeah, maybe," Leaf said sheepishly, "But I'm sure Professor Oak eventually will love learning all about Rotom once he gets back to Kanto."

Riley just shrugged, apparently unconvinced.

"Hmm, maybe you're right, Riley…" Cheryl said thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry, Cheryl," Leaf said sincerely and scratched the back of her head. She did feel a little guilty for taking the only Rotom here after Cheryl had come all this way for it.

"No, that's alright," Cheryl smiled, "You caught Rotom fair and square. And besides, I don't think I'd have an easy time getting along with such a mischievous Pokémon anyway…."

Cheryl then turned to Chansey, "All of my Pokémon are little sweethearts that brighten my day like a ray of sunshine…" she said as she affectionately petted her Pokémon.

"Yeah… I guess so…" Leaf shrugged while her Lucario looked like he might get sick to his stomach from such syrupy sentimentality.

"Well, now that that's all taken care of, what do you say we leave this creepy place?" Riley suggested.

"Aw, man; I've been waiting to hear that all night…!" Leaf sighed with relief. This place was the worst… but she did wind up with a new partner for it!

The three trainers chuckled a little before heading out of there with their Pokémon.

"Well, thanks for taking me along for the adventure!" Cheryl said to them once the Old Chateau was well out of sight.

"Leaving so soon?" Riley frowned.

"Yeah, I want to get to Eterna City and find a Pokémon Center! Once I do that, I'm sleeping all day tomorrow!" she grinned.

"Heh, heh! Good luck!" Leaf waved.

"Thanks! You too!" Cheryl waved as well.

After they had parted ways, Riley turned to Leaf, "What now?"

"Well…" Leaf sighed. She was pretty tired, and she just wanted to sleep, "How about we camp out here for… the remainder of the night?"

"Alright. Sounds good to me," Riley agreed.

"You have a sleeping bag or anything?" Leaf asked as she glanced at his fairly small bag.

"Luckily, yes; I do."

oOoOoOo

"'Night," Leaf called out before closing her eyes to sleep. It hadn't taken them long to unfurl their sleeping bags onto the relatively level ground.

"Good night," Riley responded. Knuckles grunted quietly in response before shutting his eyes as well. But, he wasn't lying down for rest. Instead, he was sitting in a meditative pose beside Leaf. Leaf was uncertain whether he was going to sleep that way or just meditate until dawn, but she was too tired to ask.

When Leaf awoke the next morning, she was startled to find that she had been sleeping in one of the withered old beds of the Old Chateau. She shrieked and jumped out of the bed when she realized that the sheets were moldy and decaying.

'I don't know what possessed me to sleep in _that_ filthy old bed,' Leaf shuddered.

"Ah, Leaf! There you are!" a familiar voice cried.

"Professor?" Leaf turned around to see Professor Oak standing there.

"Leaf, have you tried the old gateau?" Oak asked excitedly.

"Gateau?" Leaf repeated. Wasn't that French for cake? Did Oak have cake for her to try?

"Of course! Of course!" Oak said busily, "Haven't you heard? It's the specialty of the Old Chateau!"

"Really? Where is it? I wouldn't mind trying some cake," Leaf grinned.

"I have some right here!" Oak said proudly and brandished a piece of some chocolate-like substance on a toothpick.

"WHAT? That's not cake!" Leaf exclaimed in disappointment, "That's like ganache or something else gross like that! Definitely not as good as cake!"

"Oh, no, no, no! This is Gateau!" Oak shook his index finger and acted like he had just recited a nursery rhyme.

Leaf was about to retort, but froze when she heard an awful-sounding shout. It sounded like Riley, and he sounded like he was in terrible pain. Leaf was painfully reminded of his injury from the battle with Saturn. Her stomach swirled with fear, and she felt suddenly unable to speak.

"Ooo, that didn't sound good…" Oak frowned, "You'd better hurry up and find him or else!"

"Or else what?" Leaf managed to choke out. But, it was too late. Oak had already disappeared. She looked around frantically before running off in the direction of Riley's shouts.

"Riley? Riley? Where are you?" Leaf called out. She was running as fast as she could, but she seemed to be trapped in the winding maze of the Old Chateau.

"Give it up already!" Leaf froze at the sound of familiar voices. Team Galactic?

"You can't run away from us forever!" Saturn's voice echoed all along the halls, "There is no point in prolonging the inevitable: your lives are ours for the taking!" his voice seemed to be coming from any and every direction possible.

Just then, Riley let out a bloodcurdling shout that sent electric shocks down Leaf's spine. She knew he was in extreme pain; it sounded like he couldn't last much longer.

"Stop! Don't do this!" Leaf shrieked as she ran as fast as she could in the direction of his voice. She couldn't let this happen to Riley! She had to save him before it was too late!

Then suddenly, she heard another gut-wrenching shout from behind her.

"… Knuckles?" Leaf breathed. What would she do now? What if there wasn't time to save them both? Who could she save first, if anyone?

Leaf's knees gave in as she covered her ears. The desperate cries of her two friends were too much to take. What could she do? How could she help tow people at once? How could she do it all alone?

Just then, a dark portal opened up before her. Leaf gasped at the sight of two bright red eyes glaring at her from within the depths. The beast within the portal grinned evilly at her growing fear and began to come out of its shadowy prison…

Leaf twisted in place and groaned at the bright light flooding against her closed eyes. She suddenly opened them to realize that she was lying on the ground in her sleeping bag. The sun was already up high in the sky. Several rays of sunlight had poured through the gaps in the trees' leaves, fully illuminating her face. Leaf squinted at the bright light, and adjusted herself so that she was in the shade.

Leaf sat up and looked around to see that Riley was still asleep. Knuckles was at her side, sprawled out on the ground and deep in slumber. Apparently he had abandoned his meditative pose overnight. Leaf breathed a small sigh of relief. She had been dreaming. Both Riley and Knuckles were safe, and she truly hadn't slept the night in one of the Old Chateau's grimy and disgusting beds.

Leaf brushed her hair thoughtfully while the others slept. Somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling in her stomach that today was going to be a long and trying day.

oOoOoOo

Notes: I tried to do a little foreshadowing of a major event to come using some symbolism in Leaf's dream… Can anyone guess what Riley and Knuckles stand for…?


	34. Chapter 34: Hunter J

After having woken up and gotten prepared for the day ahead, Leaf, Riley, and Knuckles made their way out of Eterna Forest. The two Trainers had been chatting casually, when Knuckles suddenly cried out.

"What is it?" Leaf asked him, wondering what on earth he could possibly be sensing now. Knuckles merely pointed behind them in response.

Leaf whirled around to see a familiar Pokémon hovering playfully just out of reach, "Mesprit!"

"Is that…?" Riley was shocked.

"Yeah, it's Mesprit!" Leaf beamed, "What are you doing here, anyway? How do we keep running into each other like this all the time?"

Just then, several trucks drove up nearby. The occupants hastily got out holding their Pokéballs threateningly. All of them were wearing matching uniforms, and they did not look especially friendly.

"We must retrieve the target at all costs!" the apparent leader shouted. He let out a Crobat, who wasted no time in hurling a Dark Pulse headed straight for Mesprit. Mesprit just barely dodged the full force of the attack, but her arm was badly hurt. She whimpered a little from the pain and made to fly off into the shelter and safety of the trees.

"Don't let it get away!" the leader shouted to his men, each of which in turn released their Pokémon which consisted only of Golbat, Sharpedo, Luxio, and Ariados.

"Hey! You thugs won't get away with that! Leave that poor Pokémon alone!" Leaf cried and pulled out her Pokéballs as well. She wasn't about to stand back and let these creeps gang up on Mesprit. Riley silently followed suit.

"And who do you kids think you are? Don't get in our way, or we'll just squash you two as well!" the nearest man growled.

"Just try it," Riley said darkly.

"Forget those two runts!" the commander grunted to his men's Pokémon teams, "Our priority is Mesprit!"

"How naïve are you?" a woman's voice asked sharply. Leaf looked up to see a fierce looking woman riding a Salamence. She certainly didn't look friendly, to say the least, and judging by the way she was riding and acting alone, she seemed to be in command of these thugs, "Can't you idiots see just who we've come across here?"

"But sir! Mesprit! It's getting away!"

Sure enough, Mesprit was long gone, somewhere deep in the heart of Eterna Forest by now. Real nice going on their part…

"Forget about Mesprit! We've found more elusive prey…" the woman turned to face Leaf with a devilish smirk on her face, "Can't you fools see who you've stumbled across by a pure stroke of fate!"

"We've got to get out of here, Leaf," Riley said to her under his breath.

"Why?" Leaf blinked. Was this woman from Team Galactic or something? Her hair was weird, for sure, but it wasn't _that_ atrocious…

"That's Pokémon Hunter J," Riley said in an undertone, "She's notorious for capturing and selling rare Pokémon to the highest bidder. She's cold blooded and ruthless. Being from Kanto, you probably haven't heard of her, but here in Sinnoh, she's infamous… the only Pokémon bounty hunter able to evade the police for ages now…"

"Don't you see? We've managed to find the Pokémon Researcher, Leaf," Hunter J continued to her men after she had gotten a good look at Leaf, "Mesprit can wait… It's not often that we come across a girl who somehow managed to capture the elusive Azelf!"

"H-how do you know my name…?" Leaf stammered. But she didn't get a chance to hear a reply because Riley had abruptly grabbed her hand and tried to lead her away from there. He knew it'd be best to run away from this just like Mesprit had. It was probably the only way they'd be able to make it out of there with Azelf still safe in Leaf's possession.

"No one runs from me!" J scowled and had her Salamence use Flamethrower. Leaf braced herself for an attack, but the flames were headed for the trees in front of them. The trees burned fitfully, effectively blocking their quickest escape route.

Riley cursed under his breath, "Looks like we're going to have to fight them…"

"I'm ready," Leaf narrowed her eyes. Hunter J laughed, taking a sick pleasure in the burning of the forest's trees.

"Go!" Riley promptly released every single one of his Pokémon. Leaf, after careful consideration, let out all of her Pokémon for battle except for Blathers and Azelf. After she had inadvertently tipped off Saturn that the only Pokémon not entering the fray would be Azelf, she was determined not to make the same mistake twice.

However, the reality was, each of Hunter J's men had four Pokémon… Even with only ten men, they outnumbered Riley and Leaf's Pokémon four to one. Better odds than the fight with Team Galactic several days ago, but they had only used Golbat.

"How pathetic…" Hunter J shook her head, "None of your Pokémon stand a chance against all of my men…Why even bother trying?"

"If any of you freaks ever decided to hold a _fair_ fight, _you'd_ be the ones in for it!" Leaf growled. All of her Pokémon were far stronger than theirs. If only she were allowed to carry more than six Pokémon…

"There's no need for me to even get involved," J smirked as she watched the battle.

Leaf flinched as she watched Vegeta get painfully zapped by three Luxio all at once. Popuri fainted after being hit by one too many electric attacks and a well-aimed Dark Pulse in the back. Blaze struggled violently against the sticky spider webbing wrapped around her as she attempted to defend herself from two Golbat who were continually swooping down on her. Knuckles managed to knock out one of the Luxio attacking Vegeta, but got hit from behind with a String Shot fired by an Ariados. Things weren't going any better for Riley's Pokémon. They were all severely outnumbered, and J's Pokémon weren't exactly fighting fair… This couldn't go on much longer…

"This is awful…" Leaf wrung her hands together nervously, "I can't stand to watch this…"

"You could end this now," J said smoothly as her Salamence came down for a landing nearby. She carefully dismounted and smirked at Leaf, "Give me Azelf, and your pathetic Pokémon won't have to suffer any longer."

Leaf clenched her hands into fists. What options did she have? Could she just stand here and allow her Pokémon to continue fighting a battle they couldn't win? What would happen to them once they were too exhausted to fight anymore? Perhaps the entire battle would be in vain anyway? Why fight any longer if the outcome is inevitable? There just _had _to be another way to defeat them!

"Come now; don't you care about your Pokémon?" J walked closer and held out her hand, "Just hand Azelf over to me, and they'll be spared."

"Stay away from her," Riley growled and blocked her path. Aura was pulsing around his palms.

"Get out of my way, you-" J stopped short when she noticed his Aura swirling, "What are you doing? What is that light gathering in your hands?" she asked sharply.

"My aura," Riley glared at her, "Stay away from us!"

"Ah, I see now. You're that ridiculous Aura Guardian that's been causing so much trouble… but not for much longer though," A sinister grin spread across J's face as she pointed the weapon on her arm at Riley.

"Stop!" Leaf cried out. J lowered her weapon as a smirk formed on her lips. She knew the girl would eventually give in to her might. Pokémon Researchers didn't have backbones… J knew that from the moment she first laid eyes on Leaf. Soft… sentimental… all you had to do was back her companions into a corner, and she'd completely fall apart. J had seen it all before… It was all too easy to bring this silly girl to her knees…

"If I give you Azelf… will you promise not to hurt anyone?" Leaf asked J quietly.

"Yes, I have no other business with you; I will leave once Azelf is in my hands," J told her in a businesslike tone as if they were making a simple transaction.

"Leaf! No! You can't!" Riley looked shocked to hear this coming from her. Leaf had always been so confident in her Pokémon's talents; how could she just give up like this?

"I have to…" Leaf avoided his gaze, "There's no other way… I can't let everyone suffer again like last time with Team Galactic!"

J shoved the stunned Riley aside in order to approach Leaf, "Give it to me!" she ordered and held out her hand again.

Leaf held Azelf's Ultra Ball in her hand and squeezed it tightly for a second. Then she closed her eyes and dropped the Ultra Ball in J's hand. It was done. Azelf was gone.

J hopped onto Salamence, "Target acquired! Retreat at once!" J proudly declared.

Leaf stumbled as a sudden gust of wind abruptly blew over them. An airship that must have previously been cloaked landed nearby. J flew inside on her Salamence while her men promptly recalled their Pokémon and headed back to their trucks.

Riley looked over at Leaf carefully. He would stand by any decision she made, "Forget about them, Leaf. We should focus on the other Pokémon for now. They need our help."

Leaf ignored him. She was too busy with her own thoughts. Had she really just given up Azelf? Had she done the right thing? Was it right for her to sacrifice Azelf to save all the others?

Leaf clenched her fists. No! It wasn't right! Azelf was her Pokémon too, and he deserved to be protected just like all the rest of them! And it was her responsibility to save him now… not Riley's, not her Pokémon's, hers. She was certain of it.

Having made up her mind, Leaf then walked resolutely up to the airship just as the trucks were heading in. She would bring Azelf back herself. No one else deserved to get hurt in her place anymore. It was her turn now.

"Leaf?" Riley blinked, "…Where are you going?"

Leaf ignored his question and instead broke into a run. She knew if she told him, he'd just try to stop her.

"Leaf! What are you doing!" Riley called out to her. He was getting nervous now…

Meanwhile, Knuckles was still trapped within the sticky confines of that String Shot attack. He was startled out of his struggling for a moment when he noticed Leaf run past, heading for Hunter J's airship. Realizing that he really needed to get a move on now, he violently writhed until he managed to free one of his arms. Once that was accomplished, he quickly used Metal Claw to break free entirely. Knuckles then promptly ran after Leaf as quickly as he could.

"LEAF!" Riley bellowed loudly and ran after her. What was she thinking? "LEAF! STOP!"

"I'll be fine," Leaf called out over her shoulder, "Watch over my Pokémon while I'm gone!"

"LEAF! NO! GET BACK HERE!" Riley shouted. But it was too late. She had already made up her mind, and there was no changing it now.

Leaf managed to jump onto the platform just as it was starting to move upwards to seal itself closed. Knuckles caught up and managed to leap in after her just before the platform was able to close up completely. By the time Riley had caught up, it was too late; the ship was already sealed up and ready to take off. Riley was knocked off his feet by the powerful gust of air the airship produced as it took off into the sky.

"No…" Riley barely managed to say after he sat up and watched the ship re-cloak and disappear from sight.

On board the airship, Leaf rubbed her head; "Ow… that really hurt…"

She hadn't reached the hallway before the wall closed up, and she had tumbled down and landed on the unforgiving metal ground. Knuckles had tumbled down too and landed beside her. At least he had thought to roll.

"Man, I sure am glad you managed to come along… I don't really know how well I would have done all by myself…" Leaf admitted sheepishly. Knuckles grinned at her. He would always be there for her.

"We might not be able to get Azelf back, but while we're here, we can at least mess with Hunter J, right?" Leaf winked. Hunter J might have won the battle, but Leaf wasn't going to make it easy for her to hang onto the prize…


	35. Chapter 35: Wild Toby Appears!

"Alright; listen carefully…" Leaf turned to Knuckles, "First, I'm going to need you to use your Aura to figure out where the bridge is…"

Knuckles grunted affirmatively. If it was located where Hunter was now, then he was certain of where it was.

"Good. Next, I need you to distract everyone by… pretty much destroying everything you see," Leaf continued thoughtfully, "Oh! But, don't break the walls down or the windshields or anything like that! We certainly don't want to go over-board with the destruction, okay?" she added hastily. She didn't want Knuckles to totally overdo it and kill them all…

Knuckles smirked and nodded. That didn't sound too hard.

"Good! Then, let's go!" Leaf cried and took off after her Lucario as he led the way to the control room.

"Oh? What's this? No Pokémon on the bridge? Good! Then my Lucario will destroy you all!" Leaf called out loudly once they stormed onto the bridge.

"What? How the - did _you_ get in here?" J snarled.

"Easy now; this story's K rated, you know…" Leaf blathered mindlessly like her Chatot. Meanwhile, Knuckles began to smash up the control panels and all the men that stood in his way with his Bone Rush attack.

"Stop that Pokémon now!" J shrieked at her men. What use were they to her if they couldn't even keep two simple intruders off the ship?

"Send in the Drapion!" J shrieked again. Those panels had cost her a fortune! That Lucario might as well burn up all the cash she was getting for this pathetic job which was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth!

Leaf looked around at all the ensuing chaos. J was shrieking at her men to do something productive; the men were frantically trying to follow orders without getting clobbered by the rampaging Lucario; it was all turning out to be even crazier than she had expected. She could have blasted a foghorn without anyone noticing her.

Suddenly, two Drapion growled menacingly as they finally made their way onto the bridge to stop the intruders. They were slow, but they looked powerful.

"Finally…" J growled.

"Be careful, Knuckles!" Leaf called out to him.

Knuckles smashed one of the Drapion right on the head with his Bone Rush. The purple beast was momentarily stunned by the brute force. Unfortunately, the other Drapion took this as an opportunity to sneak up from behind and grab Knuckles with one of its pincers.

"Look alive!" J shouted at the Drapion that was still trying to recover from that Bone Rush, "I want the both of them subdued at once!"

Knuckles struggled against Drapion's iron grip, but the Pokémon merely squeezed him harder. Leaf jumped in surprise when she noticed that the other one was advancing toward her. She tried to run, but it had already backed her into a corner.

"No! Put me down!" Leaf shrieked when the Drapion picked her up and squeezed her in its pincers.

"Expel them now!" J ordered as she picked up Azelf's Ultra Ball from its pedestal and grasped it tightly.

"Drapion!" the two Pokémon cried and promptly carried Leaf and her Lucario off to the exit.

"Wait! Wait! _Wait_!" Leaf cried anxiously, "Just what are you going to do?"

As soon as the doors opened up, the Drapion tossed Leaf and Knuckles off the ship like useless garbage.

Leaf screamed in terror when she realized they were in free fall. Her heart racing in panic, she stretched out her arm to reach her Lucario's hand. Once they had managed to grab hands, Leaf immediately reached for one of her Pokéballs.

"I'm counting on you, Blathers!" Leaf cried as she released her Chatot with one hand and held onto Knuckles tightly with the other.

"That'll be nine dollars and sixty-two cents, please! Thank you! Come again!" Blathers sang out, momentarily oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

"Holy bananas!" Blathers' eyes nearly popped out of his head when he noticed Leaf and Knuckles plummeting to the earth. He bravely swooped down to save them without another word. The little bird Pokémon seized Leaf's wristband with both of his tiny feet and flapped his wings vigorously to keep them from descending too quickly.

"Thanks, Blathers… I sure am glad I kept your Pokéball in my bag…" Leaf sighed. That was a close one. Apparently Hunter J didn't care whether she lived or died. She'd definitely have to watch herself more carefully from now on…

"Keep it up… You can do it, Blathers," Leaf coaxed. She knew how hard it was for a bird his size to keep her afloat… and to add Knuckles' weight on top of that… it had to be difficult for the poor thing. He was losing more feathers by the minute, and he wasn't even making any jokes…

"You're doing great… We're almost there…" Leaf continued to encourage her Pokémon. It was all she could do at this point.

As they drew near to the forest line, Knuckles looked around for a sturdy branch onto which he could leap. He didn't want Chatot to have to carry his weight any longer than he needed to. Once he saw a strong enough branch, he promptly let go of Leaf and landed on it deftly. From there, it didn't take him long to get down the rest of the way himself.

"Wow, you should do parkour or something," Leaf commented as she watched Knuckles leap around from branch to branch rather efficiently. She figured only ninjas could be that cool.

Finally, Blathers safely lowered Leaf to the ground. Once the deed was accomplished, he flopped into her arms, exhausted.

"Poor Blathers… I know you had a rough time, but you were amazing…Thanks so much," Leaf hugged him gratefully. Blathers just panted and tried to rest.

"Well… that was quite the ordeal… but at least it's over now," Leaf gently stroked her Chatot as she spoke.

Knuckles grunted and lowered his gaze to the ground. They had just risked their lives… all for nothing.

"Oh, don't worry!" Leaf grinned widely, "It wasn't a total loss…"

Knuckles blinked. What was she talking about?

"Heh, heh! Check it out!" Leaf grinned mischievously and held out Azelf's Ultra Ball proudly.

"What the FABOOOM!" Blathers shouted loudly. Knuckles looked shocked. How did she get Azelf back?

"I switched Azelf's Pokéball with an empty one while everyone was distracted by you destroying everything in sight," Leaf explained with cheerful grin, "Just imagine Hunter J's face when she finds out!"

Knuckles grinned. Blathers chattered happily for a while, but soon fell silent again because he was pretty tired out.

"Yeah, there's no doubt we all schooled Hunter J, but..." Leaf continued, "…now, we have a new problem… where are we?"

She looked around at the endless maze of trees surrounding them. They had to be deep within Eterna Forest... She couldn't see a path anywhere; they must be far off into the less-traveled heart of the forest… Not such a great thing for someone with no sense of direction…

"Uh, Knuckles, can you sense Riley anywhere?" Leaf hoped. Knuckles shook his head. He couldn't sense anyone for miles… only wild Pokémon.

"So… which way should we go?" Leaf wondered. Her map would be completely useless to her right now… She was completely disoriented… No idea which way was north… Ugh… Could it get any worse…?

Knuckles just randomly chose a direction and started walking.

"Uh, how did you figure out which way to go…?" Leaf asked. Knuckles just shrugged. He was only guessing here.

"Fine… I guess I'll just follow you," Leaf shrugged. She didn't have any better ideas.

After a long time of walking throughout the seemingly endless forest, Leaf really wanted to just scream. This forest was the worst! There were countless fallen trees to climb over, creepy Caterpie everywhere, (a squishy and relatively slimy Pokémon that Leaf truly wanted to avoid stepping on) and scads of rotting trees that stank like a sweaty Muk in the summertime. In short, their journey was not fun… at all. But Knuckles was stubborn and very eager to move onward. He had really only allowed them to stop briefly for a quick lunch and dinner. Aside from that, he wasn't very keen on letting Leaf stop to rest. The moment she stopped moving was the moment she started complaining.

But for now, it was getting late… Leaf was tired and running out of food… She didn't know how much longer she could make it in this never-ending forest. The sooner they found Riley and left this place, the better.

"Aw, man, Knuckles… We've been walking all day…" Leaf complained, "Can't we stop and rest for the night?" It was nearly pitch black, and Blathers had already fallen asleep in her arms.

Knuckles groaned but eventually gave in. He walked over to a pile of rocks, chose a large rock to sit upon, and decided to meditate there. Leaf took a seat on a fallen tree trunk, glad to finally have a chance to rest her aching feet.

It was silent for a long time… well, except for Blathers' snoring… that was pretty hard to ignore.

Leaf was frightened when she heard a twig snap, "What was that?"

Knuckles groaned. She was too paranoid. It was only a wild Pokémon. There was nothing to worry about.

"Are you sure?" Leaf asked nervously. She couldn't help but worry that one of those creepy ghosts from the Old Chateau wanted revenge on her for taking Rotom away…

Knuckles grunted and nodded. Everything was fine. He returned to his meditation.

Leaf looked around nervously. What if some creepy Murkrow were stalking them? She hated those birds! They always had creepy grins on their faces like they were just waiting to peck your brains out!

"There it was again!" Leaf squeaked when she heard another twig snap, closer this time.

Knuckles sighed and got up to go scare away the Pokémon making the noises.

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't leave me here alone!" Leaf cried.

Knuckles shrugged. Chatot would be with her…

"But Blathers is asleep!" Leaf insisted.

Knuckles sighed. It would have only taken a second… What did she honestly want him to do?

"I'm sorry; I know… I'm probably just freaking out too much… I'll stop, I promise! Just forget I even said anything! But whatever you do, don't leave!"

Knuckles sighed and returned to his rock to meditate. It was a wonder he was able to concentrate on anything with her bothering him so much…

Leaf tried her hardest not to make a big deal about it when she heard another twig snap. It certainly unnerved her, but she wasn't going to let it outright scare her anymore. It was probably just a little Rattata… right? Nothing to worry about!

Leaf let out a scream when she felt an icy cold finger tap her shoulder. She jumped out of her seat, jolting her Chatot awake. Blathers let out a bloodcurdling scream of his own, just like a woman straight out of bad horror movie. Knuckles leapt up, ready to fight whoever it was.

"Haunter!" the ghost Pokémon grinned. It was hilarious to scare frightened girls, especially when their Pokémon were too weak to do anything about it!

Knuckles snarled. He produced a Bone Rush attack, ready to give this creep a taste of his fury.

"No! Knuckles! You can't use Bone Rush because-" Leaf cried, but she was too late. Knuckles smashed his bone at Haunter, only to have the attack go straight through the Ghost Pokémon with no effect.

"…Because Bone Rush is a ground based attack, and Haunter knows how to Levitate…" Leaf finished blandly.

Haunter laughed and swooped down at Leaf, causing her (and Blathers) to scream again. He was having fun scaring the daylights out of them. Knuckles growled angrily and tried to use Force Palm this time. But it was no use; his paw went right through the Ghost type Pokémon.

"You can't use fighting type attacks on a ghost Pokémon!" Leaf pointed out. Knuckles growled at her angrily. It was _her_ job to tell him what to do!

"Right… Well… after careful consideration… I'd say our best bet would be to…" Leaf looked thoughtful for precisely two seconds, "RUN AWAY!"

Leaf and Knuckles took off running with Blathers flying nearby, screaming his head off all the while, like he was seconds away from being eaten by a monster.

"Shut up, Blathers! You're driving me crazy!" Leaf panted as she struggled to keep up with her Pokémon.

"Dusknoir!" Another ghost Pokémon popped out from the trees in front of them. Leaf and Knuckles skidded to a halt and tried running in a different direction.

"Why? Why do they want to kill us?" Leaf wailed. She looked back for a second and saw that the two ghost Pokémon were gaining on them, "This because I captured Rotom, isn't it? Man, I _knew _I should have let Cheryl catch him!"

Leaf shrieked when she tripped on a log she didn't notice and fell to the ground. She knew she wouldn't be able to get up fast enough to get away, so she covered her head with her hands and prepared for the worst…

Once Knuckles realized Leaf had fallen behind, he skidded to a halt and ran back to help her. Dusknoir chuckled evilly and sent a Dark Pulse straight for Leaf. Knuckles ran in between them and took the attack himself. With a nasty laugh, Haunter used Mean Look on him next. Now he couldn't run away from the battle...

"Use Featherdance, Blathers!" Leaf cried as she scrambled to her feet.

"Taste the wrath of my DEADLY FEATHERS!" Blathers shrieked as he flapped his wings manically, sending thousands of feathers everywhere. Dusknoir and Haunter flailed and coughed as mountains of feathers overtook them.

"Come on, Knuckles! Now's our chance!" Leaf urged as she grabbed his hand and tugged, thinking that they would all run away now. But Knuckles was frozen to the spot, as if trapped in a trance.

"Come on, Knuckles!" Leaf cried desperately, "Snap out of it!" she shook him by the shoulders, trying to get him to wake up from whatever freaky state he was trapped in. But it wasn't working… his eyes were glazed over; Mean Look wasn't going to let him escape the fight.

Just then, a Lucario leaped out of the bushes and squared off against the now recovering ghost Pokémon. Leaf blinked. Was she seeing things? Or dreaming? How could there be a Lucario here in the middle of the woods?

Leaf heard a sharp cry from another Lucario not too far away in the woods. The Lucario in front of her nodded and opened its mouth to unleash a devastating purple beam. Leaf gasped; that was Dragon Pulse. She didn't know that a Lucario could learn that move.

The beam shot directly between Haunter and Dusknoir, missing them both, but the two quickly got the message and fled. They weren't eager to hold a battle against an opponent this strong.

"Wow… thank you, Lucario…" Leaf said gratefully to the new Pokémon just as her Lucario was starting to shake off the lingering effects of Mean Look.

The Lucario before her turned around and grinned slightly at her. It was then Leaf realized that this Lucario was blind.

The blind Lucario turned to the bushes and called out sharply. Leaf heard a slight rustling as a man emerged from the bushes. Leaf's eyes widened when she saw him, "…Riley…?"

The man looked at her carefully for a moment before shaking his head, "Toby," he said quietly and pointed at his chest with his thumb.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Aha! There you have it! My first original character! Oh, besides Leaf's siblings… but they don't count as much because they're minor characters.

You'll probably think Toby is pretty odd at first, but eventually, we'll find out a secret about him… Please stay tuned!


	36. Chapter 36: Toby and his Pokémon

"Toby," the mysterious stranger said quietly and pointed at himself. Leaf just stared at him. He sure looked an awful lot like Riley… From the thick and messy dark hair to the deep blue eyes… The only major differences were that he looked a little younger and his clothes were ragged and dirty…

"Um, I'm Leaf," Leaf finally spoke up.

"Leaf?" Toby repeated, looking confused. He reached out to a nearby tree branch, tore off several leaves, and held them out.

"Uh, no," Leaf shook her head with a small smile, "_I'm_ Leaf. That's my name…"

Toby blinked, uncertain as to what she was trying to say.

"Leaf!" Leaf said loudly and pointed to herself much like he had earlier.

"Oh! Leaf!" Toby finally understood, "Leaf is you!"

"Yeah…" Leaf scratched her head thoughtfully. Just _how_ long had this dude been hanging out in these woods anyway…?

"Um, is this your Lucario?" Leaf asked him.

"…Yes," Toby said after careful consideration. He walked over and put his hand on his Lucario's shoulder, "Ki."

"Ki?" Leaf repeated, wondering why on earth he had said that. Then she figured it out, "Oh, is that his nickname?"

Toby nodded after careful thought. Then he looked at her Pokémon expectantly.

"Oh, yeah, this is Knuckles," Leaf indicated Lucario, "And this is my Chatot, Blathers," she finished and pointed at the bird Pokémon just as he landed on Knuckles' head for a rest.

"Leaf has… very good Pokémon…"

"Thanks! And so do you!" Leaf beamed, "I mean, Ki saved our lives and everything, and I'm grateful for that!"

Toby smiled, but then he looked thoughtful again, "Why Leaf in forest? Toby not see woman here for many years…"

"It's a long story…" Leaf sighed. She then explained her situation. She told him about Hunter J kidnapping her Pokémon and what she had had to do in order to get him back. And now, she was pretty much lost in the forest, looking for Riley.

"Riley?" Toby repeated, confused, "Riley is… Pokémon?"

"Uh, no," Leaf had to stifle a laugh, "Riley's my friend. He's human… you know… like you and me. _Not_ a Pokémon."

"Ah," Toby seemed to understand now, "Riley is Leaf's father?"

"No. Riley's my friend."

"Hmmmm…" Toby hummed thoughtfully, "Toby help Leaf find Riley," he decided.

"Really? Thank you," Leaf said gratefully, "I've been lost all day long, and I would really appreciate any help you have to give!"

"Yes. Toby help. But first… All must rest. Pokémon tired. Leaf tired. Toby tired. Must rest. Toby know good place to rest. Toby has house. Leaf follow Toby."

"Um… sure…" Leaf agreed reluctantly. It probably wasn't such a great idea to keep looking for Riley in the dark, especially with Ghost Pokémon running rampant, ready to prank at a moment's notice…

Leaf and Knuckles followed Toby and Ki deep into the woods while Blathers slept on Knuckles' head. Surprisingly, it didn't take them long to find Toby's 'house', which would probably be more accurately described as a little den that Ursaring must have abandoned long ago. It was pretty cozy, nestled into the side of a hill like that. Leaf peered inside to see a small campfire area, now unlit, and a few small nests made of leaves.

"Wait here," Toby began, "Toby must find more leaves for Leaf and Knuckles and Blathers to sleep on nest."

"Oh no, that's okay," Leaf told him, "I have a sleeping bag, and Knuckles doesn't mind sleeping on the ground… but thank you, though."

Toby looked a little confused as he wondered what a 'sleeping bag' was.

"So, Toby…" Leaf began, wanting to start up a little conversation and to find out more about this guy, "How long have you been hanging out here in the forest?"

"Toby lives in forest. Forest is Toby's home. Toby live here for many years," Toby told her.

"But why?" Leaf blinked. Why would someone choose to live in the forest all alone save for a couple of Pokémon?

Toby sighed, "Toby hate city. All people think about moneys too much. Toby not like money. Toby not like rules… Toby live in forest with Pokémon. Pokémon true friends to Toby. Pokémon is Toby's family."

"Wow… I'm sorry you feel that way…" Leaf said sadly. She figured he must have had a bad experience with his family and ran away from home when he was young…

"Toby like Leaf. Toby know Leaf not only like money," Toby said quickly, misunderstanding her disappointment. Apparently he thought she felt bad because he mentioned that all people are obsessed with money. He wanted to let her know that she was the exception to what he had said.

"I know," Leaf smiled slightly, "I was just wondering if you ran away from your home…"

"Yes," Toby said proudly, "Toby run away when Toby… five years old. Toby run from home with Ki. Toby come here to forest, and Toby find more Pokémon friends."

"You have more Pokémon?"

"Yes," Toby nodded, "Pokémon come home soon!" he grinned.

"Cool…" Leaf began to wonder what Pokémon he had, but she had more pressing issues to address first, "So, if you ran away when you were five, then you probably never became a registered Pokémon trainer…"

Toby blinked, uncertain as to what she was talking about.

"I guess what I'm getting at is…" Leaf decided to just get straight to the point here, "how did you get a Lucario in the first place?"

"Toby's father give Toby Ki. Toby's father tell Toby Lucario is master of ki powers. So Toby call Toby's Pokémon Ki."

"Um… I don't mean to be incredibly nosy or anything here, but…was Ki always blind?"

"Ki not blind," Toby shook his head, "Ki see Leaf stand here. Ki not see with eyes. Ki see with heart."

"You mean Aura?"

"Aura…" Toby repeated thoughtfully, as if he hadn't heard that word in a long time, "Yes. Aura. Ki see Aura. So, Ki never blind."

"But… what happened to his eyes, though? Was he always like that?" Leaf was curious to know.

Toby folded his arms across his chest and frowned, "Toby not want to tell about that now."

"I'm sorry! You don't have to!" Leaf apologized quickly.

"Mudkip!" a sweet little voice cried out suddenly. Leaf looked over and saw a muddy little Mudkip emerge from the mud of the nearby creek.

"Mudkip! Mud, mud, mud! Mudkip! Kip! Kip! Mud!" Toby walked over to the little Pokémon and began talking to him in an unnaturally high voice.

"…What…?" Leaf exchanged glances with Knuckles. Was this guy really _talking_ to his Mudkip in its own language?

"Uh, Toby?" Leaf was blinking more than usual, "Uh, are you seriously _talking _to your Mudkip in Pokéspeak?"

"Yes! Toby speak many languages!" Toby beamed.

"…You're joking…"

"Nope," Toby said good-naturedly and resumed talking to his Mudkip.

"I must be dreaming…" Leaf shook her head, "So… can you speak Lucario?" she asked Toby after Mudkip had scampered inside the den and snuggled into his nest to sleep.

Toby nodded and said something to Knuckles using sharp cries and grunts. It was then that Leaf realized the Lucario she had heard calling out to Ki while they were being attacked by ghosts had been Toby all along. He must have been giving out orders for Ki's attacks.

Wow, now that she thought of it, that would certainly be an interesting twist for battling… Imagine facing against someone who called out attacks in their Pokémon's language… the opposing trainer would have no idea which attack they were going to use!

"Grovyle!" a Grovyle suddenly leapt down from the trees and landed nearby. Its claws were spread in a predatory fashion.

"Gro! Grovyle! Grov! Vyle!" Toby looked to be explaining to Grovyle who Leaf and the others were and why they were here. Grovyle's predatory stance vanished, and now Leaf couldn't help but notice the green Pokémon's cuteness.

"Aww! You have a Grovyle?" Leaf gushed, "Aw, he's so cute!"

"Cute?" Toby asked, confused, "What is 'cute'?"

"Uh, you know… adorable, sweet… uh…" Leaf couldn't think of anymore adjectives, but Toby still looked confused, "Uh, mignon? Kawaii?" she even tried other languages… but he still didn't understand.

"Rah!" Knuckles supplied. If he couldn't understand the English, maybe Lucario language would do.

"Ah…! Toby know that!" Toby finally understood it now, "Cute…" he said thoughtfully, trying out this new vocabulary word, "Leaf is cute!" Toby declared proudly, happy to use a new word properly.

"Um, thanks," Leaf giggled, "So anyway, how did you manage to find a Grovyle and Mudkip out here in Sinnoh? Aren't they kind of rare?"

Toby grinned, "Toby love to search for rare Pokémon here in forest. Toby find Mudkip dig in mud one day. Toby find Grovyle in deep in forest in trees. Both Pokémon hurt so Toby help Pokémon. Then Toby is friends with Pokémon."

"Do you have any other Pokémon?"

"Yes! Toby have Staraptor, Slugma, Torchic, Pikachu, and Oddish."

Leaf mentally kept track in her head. Yup, he definitely had more than six with him… Maybe living in the forest for years really did have its perks…

"Wait a second! How did you find a Slugma in a forest for crying out loud?" Leaf cried.

"One day… Toby see fire in forest. Toby go to see if any Pokémon hurt and… Toby find Slugma. Toby walk up to fire and see Slugma roll out of fire. Then Toby save Slugma from fire!"

"Uh… did Slugma cause the fire?" Leaf wondered.

Toby shrugged and looked confused, "What is 'cause'?"

"Where is Slugma now?" Leaf asked, her suspicions slowly rising.

Toby pointed inside the den where a little gloppy Slugma slept on the ground without a nest.

"Are you kidding me? You SLEEP with the Slugma around! It's a blasted fire hazard!" Leaf cried.

"Hmm, what is 'fire hazard'?" Toby grabbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Ugh, never mind…" Leaf decided it wasn't worth pursuing. If it caused fires regularly, Toby probably wouldn't be standing here right now…

"So… the Torchic? How did you get that?" she asked.

Toby looked down sadly, "Toby find Torchic hurt and left behind by man…"

"You're saying it was abused and abandoned by its trainer?" Leaf asked, trying to clarify. Toby nodded solemnly. "That's terrible…" she shook her head.

"Torchic?" a voice called out quietly. Toby immediately hurried over to the bushes where his Torchic was hiding. He picked it up and began to soothe its fear by talking to it.

Leaf looked at her Lucario, "What's with Torchic? Wonder why it's hiding?"

Knuckles shook his head, but only slightly so as not to wake up Blathers (because everyone knew that'd be a big mistake). He then attempted to explain that Torchic was afraid of her specifically because she was human. Apparently, the only human Torchic trusted entirely was Toby.

"Torchic is afraid because Torchic not read Aura. If Torchic see Leaf's Aura, then Torchic might like Leaf. Torchic not sure if Leaf is good. But Toby know, so Toby tell Torchic," Toby explained as he walked back over to Leaf with Torchic in his arms. Torchic whimpered slightly and peeked out at her from the safety of Toby's arms. The Pokémon's eyes were wide in fear and her face was scarred.

"Aww… you poor thing…" Leaf clutched her hands over her heart. It was all she could do to keep herself from trying to embrace the poor frightened Pokémon. She knew the only one who could comfort it was Toby.

"PIKA! PIKACHU!" Toby suddenly shouted.

"What was _that_ for?" Leaf covered her ears.

"Pikachu is late," Toby shrugged, "Oh, Oddish is late too! ODDIIIIISH!"

Finally, the last two Pokémon showed up and looked curiously at Leaf and her Pokémon. After Toby had explained everything, they finally got ready for sleep.

"Wait… didn't you say you had a Staraptor or something?" Leaf asked Toby as she climbed into her sleeping bag.

She was answered with a loud squawk, "STARAPTOR!"

"Whoa, that bird is _huge_!" Leaf cried.

"Holy guacamole!" Chatot shrieked. Leaf rolled her eyes. Just great. Blathers woke up just in time for bed…

"Yes," Toby said proudly, "Toby's Staraptor most big Staraptor in forest!"

"That's… cool… I guess…" Leaf replied as she watched the large bird scurry into the den.

"Good night!" Toby grinned.

"G'night," Leaf yawned and climbed into her sleeping bag.

"Gooood night! Have a sweet dream!" Blathers sang out with a terrible impersonation of a Japanese accent. He then proceeded to snuggle into her sleeping bag beside her.

"Whatever, Blathers," Leaf answered and closed her eyes to sleep.

"Feraligatr!" Blathers chirruped.


	37. Chapter 37: Riley's Cousin?

"Good evening, Pokémon Hunter J," Cyrus said smoothly. His face was currently occupying a portion of Hunter J's impressive view screen. The only problem was: this view screen was not producing as clear of an image as Hunter J was used to. Hunter J mentally cursed that girl's wretched Lucario. What a massive thorn in her side indeed. Fortunately, that thorn was now dealt with, possibly forevermore.

"Evening," J said curtly from her captain's chair. She had been sitting there all along, silently fuming whilst her men were frantically attempting to make repairs. Her mood was too sour for her to feel particularly motivated at the moment, but she could always fake a calm demeanor whenever dealing with a wealthy client.

"So, how has my little request been coming along?"

"I can't complain. I currently have two of the Lake Pokémon in my possession at the moment. I shall resume my search for the last one tomorrow," she replied somewhat robotically and decided that she wouldn't go into any of the details at the moment. Obviously, she was still rather irritated with her previous ordeal.

"…Wonderful…" Cyrus looked pleased, "May I see them?"

"Of course," J reached over to take Azelf's Ultra Ball off of its pedestal. She pressed the release button and tossed the ball lightly to the ground before her. But the Ultra Ball merely fell to the ground, open, empty, and utterly useless.

Hunter J's eyes widened and flared with rage, "_WHAT_?"

"Excuse me?" Cyrus' eyes narrowed, "Is there some kind of problem?"

"Things are not going smoothly at the moment, but I assure you that they will soon…" J had to clench her teeth together to keep herself from flying into a rage, "Ex…cuse me… But I must go for now. I will speak with you again in the morning…"

"See to it that you do. I expect this to be explained to me in its entirety tomorrow morning," Cyrus said curtly and promptly severed his communications.

J's men braced themselves for a massive fit of rage. This wasn't going to be pretty…

"Will someone PLEASE EXPLAIN to me HOW this Pokéball is EMPTY?" Hunter J roared. She stomped her foot onto the ground, smashing the empty Ultra Ball into pieces.

The room was silent.

"It was HER!" J suddenly shrieked, "That infernal GIRL bested ME, the greatest bounty hunter in the land! IDIOTS! WHY DIDN'T ANY OF YOU STOP HER?"

"Sir! I don't believe any of us expected it to happen…" someone spoke up, but he trailed off when he realized how grave of a mistake this was.

"Idiot!" J slapped him hard across the face, "What do I _pay_ you for?"

"I apologize, sir," he whimpered slightly, holding the side of his face.

Hunter J held her temples, "I'm going to bed now. No one shall disturb me. I want this entire airship in perfect running order when I wake up tomorrow morning…"

No one dared argue while Hunter J swiftly turned around and left the room, the folds of her long jacket billowing behind her.

oOoOoOo

Blathers whistled pleasantly as he strolled down the road to the local market. He had had a busy day at the office yesterday, but today was Saturday, the start of the weekend! Blathers had planned to treat himself to his favorite tasty snack this morning when he had made the unfortunate discovery that he had run out of sunflower seeds.

"Hello, Guildmaster!" the Chatot waved at a nearby Wigglytuff as he strolled into the market. The Wigglytuff just turned and stared at Blathers like he was crazy. Whatever. He was a loser anyway.

"Excuse me, sir," Blathers said to the man behind the counter, "I would like to buy some sunflower seeds, please!"

"Hello!" the man behind the counter beamed, "I just-a made-a some pizza! Would you like-a some pizza?"

"No," Blathers shook his head, "I would like some sunflower seeds."

"Okay!" the shopkeeper grinned, "I will get-a you some sunflower seeds!"

Blathers frowned. This shopkeeper looked familiar… Oh yes, this shopkeeper looked just like Pokémon Trainer Riley! But, he couldn't have been Pokémon Trainer Riley because he did not have an Italian accent… or did he? Suddenly, Blathers couldn't really remember. All he could think about was that beautiful hat.

"I want some pizza!" Knuckles suddenly declared. He had just appeared in line, and apparently, he was hungry.

"No, if you want pizza, you will have to wait! I was first in line," Blathers explained to him.

"Hmm… Maybe I want some chocolate instead…" Knuckles looked like he was in a trance as he began to imagine the amazing deliciousness of the finest treat in the world. But Blathers knew better.

"Chocolate will make you fat," he stated.

"What? How _dare_ you say that!" Knuckles gasped, "Do you wish to debate me?"

"No, I wish to challenge you to battle! You will fall before my awesome might! You stupid Lucario! Taste my POWAHR!"

Knuckles just smirked. Suddenly, the both of them were transported to a ridiculously stereotypical high school classroom. Once there, Knuckles began to present his viewpoint on the pros and cons of chocolate consumption. He might have made a convincing argument, but no one was really certain because they were all too busy either falling asleep or trying their hardest not to.

Blathers' eyelids were drooping… It was all so… BORING! He could hardly take it anymore!

"Alright, Blathers, now it's your turn!" the teacher beamed, "Please present your side of the argument!"

"Oh no!" Blathers said frantically. This was just too much! It was Blathers' duty as a Chatot to say the craziest things possible! He couldn't bring himself to say such boring things! It just wasn't right!

"Blathers? Wake up! We'll all ready to go! We've gotta hurry up and find Riley today!" the teacher suddenly started to sound exactly like Leaf.

"NOOOOOO!" Blathers wailed in agony. He was too busy freaking out about his cruel situation to even listen to that last bit.

"CHATOT!"

Blathers opened his eyes and was relieved to see that it was all a dream. A terrible, awful dream. His heart was pounding and he felt breathless. Thank goodness it was all a just dream.

"I wanted to make sure you got up in time for breakfast," Leaf smiled at him.

"Please don't make me eat chocolate!" Blathers wailed.

"… I won't," Leaf shrugged. She left the Chatot to collect himself and crawled out of the den to talk with Toby now that he was back from washing his face and changing his clothes.

"Grovyle bring all food for morning time," Toby told her, "Grovyle good at catch food to eat… Leaf want Weedle?"

Leaf blinked profusely, "Uh… did you say… _Weedle_? Are you suggesting that we eat _Pokémon_ for _breakfast_?"

Toby shrugged, "Yes… Weedle very tasty. Slugma make fire and all can eat roasted Weedle!"

"You're _kidding _me!" Leaf felt like she might be sick.

Toby just blinked. Didn't Leaf eat meat? Meat comes from Pokémon, doesn't it?

"Uh, tell you what. _I'll_ make us some breakfast," Leaf suggested. She didn't have much food left, but she'd make it work.

"What is that?" Toby's eyes widened in wonder as he watched Leaf put slices of ham and cheese together between two slices of bread. It certainly looked delicious.

"It's called a sandwich," Leaf explained, "Here; I made this first one for you."

Toby's eyes shined in adoration as he sunk his teeth into the delicious 'sandwich.' It tasted as great as it looked!

"Sandwich is… so… cute!" Toby cried out happily.

"Uh, thank you, I guess," Leaf giggled.

oOoOoOo

After they had all eaten, Leaf, Toby, and all the rest of the Pokémon headed off to search for Riley. After a long time of wandering around, Ki suddenly grunted loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Ki sense man with many Pokémon ahead…" Toby translated.

Knuckles suddenly perked up and frantically indicated in the same direction Ki pointed out. He cried out frantically, trying to tell Leaf something.

"You're saying it's Riley? And he's with Vegeta and the other Pokémon?" Leaf was ecstatic. She immediately ran off after Knuckles as he led the way.

"Yaay! Riley's hat! Riley's hat!" Blathers sang happily as he flew after them.

Leaf practically ran into Riley's Lucario when they finally met up again.

"You don't know how _glad_ I am to see you!" Leaf cried and hugged him tightly while the Lucario struggled to get away from her.

"Leaf! …I was really worried about you," Riley told her as soon as he had caught up to them.

"I'm sorry, but I-" Leaf began as she let go of his Lucario, but she was cut off by a flying hug from her Swablu. Popuri nuzzled against her neck; she was so glad that Leaf was safe. Blaze bounded over and nuzzled against Leaf's legs. Then Leaf heard a thunderous pounding, and she looked up to see Vegeta the massive Blastoise running at top speed to see her, knocking over any and all trees in his way.

"Vegeta, no! Please slow down!" Leaf gulped, preparing herself for the most powerful embrace she'd probably ever have in her life. Vegeta scooped up Leaf in a crushing one armed embrace, practically plowing over Riley on the way there.

"Yes… I… missed… you… too… Vegeta…" Leaf barely managed to say and patted his shell awkwardly since her arms were pretty much pinned to her sides, "But… you're… crushing… me!"

When Vegeta finally let go of her, Leaf was able to breathe normally again. Popuri flew in for another hug, but then she squealed when she realized how dirty Leaf was. She frantically began to dust her off.

"Oh… I… MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Blathers said tearfully as he landed on the brim of Riley's hat and hugged the top of it lovingly.

"Leaf…" Riley said to her, "Please… don't ever run off like that again… As you can see, we were all worried about you…"

"I'm sorry," Leaf bit her lip, "But I had to do it, for Azelf…"

"Leaf," Riley sighed and shook his head, "You can't just put yourself into danger like that… What if something terrible had happened to you?"

"Oh, come on now; lighten up, Riley," Leaf shook her index finger playfully, "It wasn't all bad, you know… Besides, if I hadn't left, I wouldn't have _this_ right now, would I?" she grinned widely and held out Azelf's Pokéball proudly.

Riley's eyes widened significantly and he gawked, momentarily unable to speak, "H-how… H-how… How did you…?"

Leaf explained everything to him proudly while Riley just stared, hardly able to believe his ears.

"… I'm really sorry I left you all behind, but at least Azelf is safe again," she finished, "Hey… Wait a second… Where's Toby?"

Knuckles pointed back toward the bushes and told her that Toby was too nervous and afraid to approach Riley.

"Who's Toby?" Riley asked.

"Uh, Toby helped me navigate through the forest to find you guys. He's, uh, kinda been living in the forest for… a looong time," Leaf explained.

"Why's he over there in the bushes, then?" Riley asked. For a second, Leaf wondered how he knew that, but then she realized that he probably sensed him there the entire time.

"Uh, I guess he's nervous… Maybe it's because you're wearing expensive clothes or something…" Leaf mused, remembering how much Toby disliked people obsessed with money, "Just wait here a second…"

"Come on, Toby, you don't have to be afraid of Riley…!" Leaf assured him and tugged gently on his arm, "Come out and meet him!"

"No," Toby slipped out of her grasp, "Toby not want to talk to Riley."

"C'mon, Riley's a good person! Ki can tell you that by looking at his Aura! You would like him!" she insisted.

"Toby know about Riley's Aura, but Toby not want to meet Riley. Riley… Riley rich so Riley know other rich people, so Toby not want to see Riley…"

"Oh, come on! Now you're just being ridiculous!" Leaf seized his arm and practically dragged him out of his hiding place. Toby reluctantly acquiesced. If Riley truly was who he thought he was, he'd have to face him eventually…

"Hello," Riley said pleasantly and held out his hand to shake. He was looking at Toby thoughtfully; the young man looked vaguely familiar somehow… like he had seen him before… but Riley couldn't remember where…

Toby ignored Riley's outstretched hand. Instead, he knocked Riley's hat off his head.

Both Blathers and Riley's hat were sent flying, "Nooo!" Blathers wailed, and he immediately swerved in the air to save the precious hat. He managed to catch it just before it hit the forest floor. Then he breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. It was a good thing he had the powers of the Matrix on his side…

Still not satisfied, Toby held Riley's hair back with his hands so that he could get a good look at his face. Riley just blinked, too stunned to think of anything to say in this odd situation.

"What are you _doing_, Toby?" Leaf exclaimed. Who seriously went up to total strangers and just grabbed their faces like that?

"Yes…" Toby said softly and let go of Riley, "Toby sure of it now… Riley is Toby's cousin…"

"_Whaaaaat_?" Leaf practically shouted.

"_My_ hat now!" Blathers said happily and put on Riley's hat even though it was far too big for his head.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Wow, over a hundred reviews? What? I never thought that would happen! Well, thank you for taking the time to write them! It's great to see what you guys have to say. Thank you!

Oh yeah, I have to say that I changed the age Toby was when he ran away to five years old. Otherwise, he wouldn't really talk like that. If he ran away at five, then he wouldn't have much schooling, so that would explain why he doesn't speak clear English… Don't worry though; he'll eventually get better the more he talks with Riley and Leaf…

Oh, and while I was at it, I fixed the spelling for Feraligatr! I always chose Chikorita, so I never really paid much attention to that spelling… (;


	38. Chapter 38: The Newest Pokémon Collector

"_Whaaaat_?" Leaf exclaimed.

"I… I did have a cousin named Toby, but… he… he died a long time ago…" Riley stammered, nearly too stunned to speak.

"What human tell Riley this?" Toby narrowed his eyes.

"Uh… I don't remember who exactly, but I remember my cousin Toby went missing a long time ago… and he was never found, so… everyone began to assume the worst…"

"Toby not die! Toby stand here now!"

"This… I can hardly…" Riley was at a loss for words now.

"Wow, I thought you two looked alike… but I didn't think you'd… actually be related…" Leaf was surprised.

"Listen," Toby suddenly seized Riley's jacket threateningly, "Riley not tell _any_ person about Toby!"

"Why…?" Riley asked faintly, still hardly able to believe all of this was happening right now.

"Toby not want any person come to take Toby out of forest! Riley not tell anyone!" Toby growled.

"Chill out, Toby! Stop it!" Leaf tried to pry them apart, but it was pretty much useless.

"I won't tell anyone! I promise," Riley said in an effort to ease the tension.

"Riley is sure?" Toby relaxed his grip.

"Yes," Riley assured him. Toby let go of him, and Leaf was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"But why? Why are you so intent on not letting your family know that you're safe?" Riley wanted to know.

"Toby not have human family anymore," Toby shook his head, "Not since Toby's father die… Now Toby's family is here," he gestured to his Pokémon.

Riley bent down to pick up his hat from Blathers' head just as the little bird was trotting over to them.

"_Thief_! You will pay for your crimes in _chocolate_!" Blathers shrieked.

Riley ignored him and readjusted his hat back on his head, "I understand, but what about your stepmother? Shouldn't she have the right to know that you're alive and well?"

"Toby not ever want to see stepmother again!" Toby said indignantly.

"Toby…" Leaf said softly. She turned to Riley and silently mouthed that she'd handle it from here, mainly because she was afraid Toby might punch him any second now. Maybe her more objective approach could help, "Is your stepmother the reason why you ran away from home, maybe?"

"Yes," Toby nodded, "Stepmother want to take Ki away from Toby! Toby not let that happen!" he sounded really passionate about it and really hurt as well.

Leaf walked over to him and took his hand in an effort to calm him down, "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore… Legally, since you're obviously over ten years old now, she can't do that. If you became a registered trainer, there's no way she ever could take your Pokémon from you legally. No one could."

"So… Ki is safe now…?" Toby looked surprised.

"Yes, but he'd be safer if you registered yourself as a trainer…" Leaf reminded him.

"How Toby do that?"

"You'd have to come to the city, but it's a really easy process, and Riley and I would be happy to help you if you needed it," Leaf smiled.

Toby looked thoughtful as he considered for a moment, "…Okay. Toby go to be 'registered trainer'… Toby go with Leaf and Riley to city…" he reluctantly agreed.

"There's still something that bothers me, though…" Riley said thoughtfully, "Why would your stepmother want to take your Pokémon away from you?"

Toby frowned, "Stepmother never like Toby much… And when Ki evolve into Lucario, stepmother want to take Ki away. Stepmother say Ki is too strong for Toby. Stepmother pretend that Ki might hurt Toby because Toby is too small then. But Toby always know Ki never hurt Toby. Ki is good. Never hurt any person."

"…But what's her true motivation here…? Why would she want your Lucario?" Leaf wondered aloud.

"She wanted ta sell it on eBid," Blathers shook his head.

"Maybe," Toby shrugged, uncertain as to what 'eBid' was.

"I suppose that doesn't matter now, anyway," Riley shook his head, "The only thing that matters is that you've managed to keep your Lucario safe."

"How much do you want for that hat?" Blathers asked Riley. Riley just readjusted his hat, trying his best to ignore him.

"Just shut up, you annoying little Chatot!" Leaf cried, "Leave Riley alone!"

"I'll give you sixty sunflower seeds for it!" Blathers insisted.

"What are you talking about? You don't even _have_ sixty sunflower seeds!" Leaf exclaimed with exasperation.

"He still owes me a bag of 'em, and he still hasn't given Knuckles some pizza!" the Chatot flew up to Riley, landed on his shoulder, and looked him square in the eye.

"Okay, that's enough," Leaf recalled Blathers back to his Pokéball.

"Nooooo! My beautiful hat!" Chatot wailed as he was sucked into his Pokéball.

"I'm sorry about that," Leaf sighed.

"Riley do have good hat," Toby acknowledged, "Aaah! _BIRD_!" he shouted and tried to shoo away Leaf's Swablu, who was about to have a heart attack because she just realized how dirty he was.

"Whoa! Chill out! My Swablu's just trying to dust you off! Nothing to… worry about," Leaf relaxed when Toby finally allowed the Swablu to happily dust away all the dirt. After she finished, Popuri promptly flew off to a little spring to clean off her now filthy feathers.

"Oh, man…" Leaf suddenly realized, "I had my Pokéballs with me the entire time, so that means…" she looked over at Riley somewhat sheepishly, "You've had to take care of half of my Pokémon without any of their Pokéballs all this time…"

"It was nothing," Riley shrugged, but his somewhat tired expression betrayed his words.

"Well, thank you, and I'm sorry about that," Leaf said sheepishly.

"It wasn't bad; we actually became pretty good friends," Riley smiled slightly, and Vegeta grinned at him. Blaze nuzzled against his leg rather affectionately. The now clean Swablu flew over and landed comfortably on Riley's shoulder.

"Dang… I guess you really _did_ get along well…" Leaf scratched her head, silently remembering how hard it was for her to bond with his Pokémon… except for Salamence of course. She still had no idea why that Pokémon liked her so much…

"Anyway, we probably should get going," Riley pointed out.

"Yeah, let's go," Leaf nodded, "You think you can help us get back to the city, Toby?" she grinned, "I'm sure you know the way!"

Toby nodded with a small smile. Leaf decided to recall all of her Pokémon for now, since it was already hard enough to keep track of all of Toby's Pokémon as it was.

The three of them and the Pokémon walked back to Eterna City. It didn't take them too long to find their way back, thanks to Toby's impressive sense of direction. Once they got there, they immediately headed for the Pokémon Center.

"Uhm…Toby?" Leaf began, "There's one thing you should know about being a registered Trainer…"

Toby looked over at her, "What?"

"Umm… You're only allowed to carry six Pokémon with you at a time…" she admitted.

"What?" Toby looked frightened, "What happen to rest of Pokémon?"

"Don't worry; they get transported to a laboratory or something to be studied," Leaf hurriedly explained, "I don't know who they have in Sinnoh, but I'm sure whoever it is will take good care of them."

"It's a woman named Bebe," Riley informed them, "You can visit her anytime in Hearthome City to check up on your other Pokémon."

"You can switch the active Pokémon in your party anytime you want too," Leaf continued, "They have a machine in the Pokémon Center just for that purpose."

"Okay…" Toby said nervously as they walked into the Pokémon Center and made their way over to that very machine.

"Good afternoon," Bebe's face appeared onscreen the moment Leaf turned it on.

"Aah!" Toby yelped when he beheld the woman trapped within the machine, "Woman is _in_ machine! Toby must get woman out!"

"No! Toby! Don't! That's just an image! She's not really in there!" Leaf cried as she, Riley, and Knuckles grabbed his arms to prevent him from destroying the machine.

"Not in machine?" Toby froze in place with a confused look on his face.

"No, it's just an image that is being transmitted to us," Leaf explained now that he had finally calmed down.

"Um… Is everything alright over there?" Bebe looked as if she didn't know what to make of such a strange situation.

"Yeah… He's just a little nervous," Leaf explained quickly, obviously unable to think of anything better to say.

"Oh? A first-time trainer, I see?" Bebe looked delighted.

"Yes, exactly! We're here to register him as a trainer," Leaf nodded.

"Oh, good! I'm Bebe! I'll be the one who cares for any new Pokémon you'll come across on your journey!" Bebe beamed at Toby.

"Bebe take good care of Toby's Pokémon?" Toby asked cautiously.

"Of course!" Bebe smiled warmly, "Now, you'll just need to answer the questions on the screen, and you'll be done! Simple as that!"

"He already has several Pokémon here, so… we'll probably need to send some to you now, actually…" Riley told her.

"Oh? Those are all his Pokémon?" Bebe looked surprised, "…Well, after you complete the questions and send your registration, you can send the extra ones to me."

After they finished answering all the mandatory questions and whatnot, (which wasn't that easy of a task because Toby didn't really know how to read… or properly sign his name) the machine printed off a brand new Trainer card for Toby. Now he was an official Trainer!

"Uh… do you even have any Pokéballs?" Leaf asked Toby.

"Yes…" Toby pulled out some old and rusted-looking Pokéballs from his pockets.

"Which ones are you going to send off?" Riley asked him.

Toby looked over his Pokémon carefully, "Well… Toby want to keep all, but Toby send Slugma and Oddish to Bebe…"

"Okay… then recall them and place them here…" Leaf directed. Once Toby did so, the Pokéballs promptly disappeared.

"Any new Pokémon you catch from now on will be sent to Bebe," Riley reminded him, "If you want to switch the Pokémon in your party, you'll have to come to another machine like this. They have them in every Pokémon Center."

"Toby always dream of catch new Pokémon…" Toby said quietly.

"I'm sure you will!" Leaf beamed.

"Toby not sure… Can Toby catch new Pokémon in… different places?" Toby looked thoughtful and slightly nervous, "Toby always want to find new Pokémon, but Toby afraid to leave forest… especially alone. When Toby come to city with Riley and Leaf, Toby not think city is scary anymore… maybe Toby travel now to find new Pokémon?"

"You can do anything you want to, Toby," Leaf smiled.

"Leaf is nice, so is Riley," Toby grinned, "Where Leaf and Riley go next?"

"Actually, we're headed for Snowpoint City!" she told him, "Maybe you'd like to come along for a while? It's a long journey, so I'm certain you'd find some new Pokémon along the way!"

"Yes, Toby like that idea! Toby will come with Riley and Leaf!" Toby agreed excitedly.

"In the short run, however, I think it might be a good idea to find some lunch first," Riley suggested, "It's getting a bit late."

Everyone seemed to agree, so they went off for lunch. After all that was over, they figured it might be a good idea to go look for some winter clothing. After all, Leaf and Toby were still dressed for warm weather. Riley was fine for now, but even he'd need a winter coat eventually. It was pretty cold that far north.

oOoOoOo

"I'm ready!" Leaf announced to Knuckles once she stepped out of the dressing room. She kept her top layer on, but replaced her undershirt with a warm, black, long sleeved shirt. She also had on some warm leggings underneath her skirt, and traded her favorite boots for more functional ones.

Knuckles groaned. Finally! She had taken forever… just to pick out something ridiculously similar to what she was already wearing!

"What do you say we go find Riley and Toby?" Leaf asked her Pokémon after she managed to stuff her new winter jacket into her bag. It had felt strange to her to have to pick out such a heavy jacket. The weather in Kanto was relatively warm and moderate; she never had to wear one like it before.

Leaf and Knuckles wandered around the men's section until they finally found Toby and Riley arguing over something.

"What's up?" Leaf blinked.

"Riley wear_ dumb_ clothes, and Riley keep try to make Toby wear them too!" Toby cried.

"They aren't dumb at all; they're perfectly fine!" Riley insisted, while holding out a pair of men's dress pants.

"But Toby like these!" Toby held out a pair of jeans.

"That's completely ridiculous! You'd look like you just rolled out of bed if you wore that!" Riley growled.

"You're both stupid," Leaf joked, "C'mon, seriously, how do you expect to stay warm in either of those pants? If I had to take a guess, I'd say you guys need to wear corduroys or something," she suggested.

"What is 'corduroys'?" Toby asked curiously.

"I'll show you," Riley said with slight exasperation as he led the way.

"Uh, well, good luck?" Leaf shrugged, "Let's wait outside," she said to Knuckles. She didn't really have a strong desire to pick out men's clothes with them. Especially since the two of them had completely opposite tastes in clothing… It was a like an endless political debate, one of those ones she'd definitely rather just stay away from.

Leaf took a seat on a bench near the clothing store and decided to try and focus her Aura into her palm. She was determined to bring out her Aura even if it took her years to figure it out…!

Eventually, she leaned back in her seat and sighed. She wasn't making any progress…

"How do you do it, Knuckles?" Leaf asked him. He was sitting next to her, doing nothing in particular. He blinked at her sudden question, uncertain as to what she meant by it.

"Will you show me your Aura?" she asked. Knuckles raised his paw and allowed his Aura to accumulate and seemingly dance around his outstretched limb.

"You're already five steps ahead of me," Leaf complained, "I'm never gonna learn Aura Sphere before you!"

Knuckles smirked.

oOoOoOo

Notes: To answer your question, Ampharoslover, I guess I have to say I always imagined that Riley's family did breed Lucario… Maybe they have their own Ranch… XD

Anyway, in all seriousness, I don't know for sure or anything, but I think of Riley as Sir Aaron's descendant. So, if Riley's family bred Lucario, then all these Lucario would be descendants of Sir Aaron's Lucario… I just think of that as very cool.

Also, please vote on my poll! I'm going to post more later, but I really want to see the results for this one first. I appreciate votes because then I'll be able to have a good idea of which Pokémon Leaf should keep in her party longer! Thank you!


	39. Chapter 39: Blue Aura

"You ready to go?" Leaf asked the two young men as they approached her bench.

"I think so," Riley answered.

Toby quickly pulled off the hood of his sweatshirt, making his hair even messier than it already was, "Toby not have many Pokéballs… Can Toby find more in city?"

"Do you even have any money, Toby?" Leaf asked him. She began to wonder how he even paid for his clothes.

"I'm covering it for him," Riley replied, almost as if he were reading her mind, "Since we're family now, I suppose."

Leaf raised an eyebrow slightly. Riley's spending habits confused her greatly, "What kind of job do you have, Riley? If you don't mind me asking, that is?"

"I don't have a job," Riley replied, "I'm just a traveling trainer."

Leaf blinked, "What?" Sure, you could get money from winning battles and such, but that wasn't much if you were worried about the future and spent money the way he did, "You can't get very far with victory money, you know... Aren't you saving money in case something happens to you in the future? What if you decide to settle down and get married someday?"

"Uh… Well… I…" Riley looked very embarrassed. Maybe she had taken it too far…

"I'm sorry," Leaf said quickly, "Forget I said that! I shouldn't have said anything…"

"Can Toby find Pokéballs here?" Toby asked again, apparently not at all interested in the conversation.

"Yes… Let's head to the PokéMart then," Riley suggested. Leaf tagged along feeling somewhat guilty over her inconsiderate questioning. Just because she was somewhat stingy, that didn't mean everyone had to be... or maybe Riley was just rich, and he didn't need to think about money the same way she did. Either way, it wasn't her business to know anyway.

Whilst Toby stood in the center of the store blinking furiously as though he had just entered the twilight zone, Leaf went up to the counter to buy some extra Ultra Balls since she figured she ought to while she was here. She had used quite a few back when she had captured Azelf, so she figured she'd better restock now. She also sold that Stardust bag she had found a while ago while she was at it.

"Different _kinds_ of Pokéballs?" Toby asked one of the salesmen, his eyes wide with wonder as he held up a Great Ball.

"Uh… hey! Where's Knuckles?" Leaf exclaimed when she realized he wasn't standing next to her like she had thought.

"Over there," Riley heard her exclamation and indicated one of the shelves near the side of the store with his thumb. Leaf blinked and looked over in said direction, and sure enough, she caught a glimpse of blue between some products on the shelf.

"Knuckles! What the heck? Why'd you run away?" Leaf cried when she caught up with him.

Knuckles blinked and looked up from the products he was currently focused on.

"What are you doing anyway?" she asked him.

Knuckles just shrugged and continued to carefully examine the products for sale. Then he promptly pulled something off the shelf and held it up in her face.

"What's this?" Leaf took the paper and held it farther from her face so she could actually read it, "Oh, it's a map! ….And it's a pretty good one too… Hey, and it's _on sale_!" she grinned happily, "Did you use your Aura to find this? Or are you just naturally gifted when it comes to shopping?" she teased.

Knuckles growled with irritation.

"I'm just kidding! But really, thanks for finding this! It's a great buy," Leaf smiled at him and returned to the counter to buy it.

After the trainers found what they were looking for, they headed off for Mount Coronet. Leaf was excited that they were finally about to see Uxie! But, she knew it would be a long and arduous journey to get to Lake Acuity…

"So, Toby," Riley began suddenly, "I've been meaning to ask you… do you happen to know much about Aura? Can you use it?"

"Toby not know much, but Toby know he has Aura inside him, just like Ki," Toby replied and held out his hand. His hand began to glow a magnificent blue.

"Geez… do you all you people have Aura powers?" Leaf wondered aloud.

"How much do you know about Aura?" Riley asked Toby again, "Do you remember anything that your father or mother told you about it?"

"Not much…" Toby admitted, "Toby know that Dad tell Toby some things, but Toby not remember much…"

"Hmm… Looks like I'll have to show _you_ what I know as well…" Riley said thoughtfully.

"Toby remember Riley always good at Aura," Toby grinned and then looked at Leaf, "Leaf use Aura too?"

"No!" Leaf cried indignantly, "And most people I know don't!"

"I'm trying to help Leaf bring out her Aura," Riley explained to Toby.

"Not easy," Toby shook his head.

"Hey! Here we are!" Leaf cried when they reached the entrance into Mt. Coronet. The entrance was deep and ominous, but it was nothing compared to the Old Chateau! "Let's get going!" she urged everyone.

The paths inside the caves of Mt. Coronet were long, winding, twisted, and confusing. Even Leaf's new and improved map was having trouble making sense of the place. Toby was excited to find new Pokémon, but Pokémon population in this place seemed rather limited... aside from the obvious (and pesky) Zubat.

After a long and grueling trek, the three trainers decided to stop for a while to rest. Toby had managed to find a surprisingly deep lake, and Leaf lent him her fishing rod so he could try catching some wild water Pokémon.

"I wonder what kinds of Pokémon you'll find here," Riley wondered aloud as he glanced down at the watery depths below. He couldn't see any Pokémon with his eyes, but he could sense their Aura.

"Pikachu!" Toby cried out proudly and let out said Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up happily.

"Pika! Pika, Pi! PiKAchu!" Toby said excitedly to his Pokémon. Apparently, he wanted her to weaken the wild water Pokémon he planned to catch with the fishing rod.

"PIKA!" Pikachu nodded, eager to earn some new friends.

Toby cast the line surprisingly well for a beginner, "Now what Toby do?" he asked Riley.

"Now you wait," Riley shrugged.

"Oh…" Toby slumped into a sitting position with a disappointed look on his face.

Meanwhile, Leaf sat down not too far away with a small sigh. Knuckles joined her and then decided to meditate since everyone was being relatively quiet. Leaf waited until he seemed deeply into his meditation before she reached into her bag and pulled out Azelf's Ultra Ball. She held it in her hands and studied it carefully while several important questions began to pop into her mind: How long would she be able to protect this Pokémon? What would she do after she found Uxie? Would she continue to hide out in the mountains with her Pokémon forever? How long would it take for Team Galactic and Hunter J to give up? What would Team Galactic or Hunter J do with Azelf if they ever managed to steal him from her?

Leaf shuddered at the thought. They were awful people to be certain, and who knows what they had planned for the poor Pokémon…

She jumped in surprise when she heard Knuckles begin to growl softly. Leaf looked over at him and saw that he had stopped meditating and was now looking at her with concern in his eyes. Oh, that was right; he probably knew that she wasn't feeling her best right now, what with all these worries stewing around in her mind….

"Knuckles?" Leaf asked suddenly with a newfound curiosity, "…Can you sense Azelf's Aura?"

Knuckles nodded silently, but couldn't help but wonder why she'd ask such a question.

"Somehow…" Leaf murmured quietly, "I… feel like I can too…"

But she was snapped out of her musings when she noticed Riley walking over to her. She hurriedly shoved the Pokéball back into her bag before he could think to ask about it.

"You alright over here?" Riley asked with a small but friendly smile as he sat down beside her.

"I'm fine; just thinking," Leaf said quickly.

"About…?" Riley gently prodded her to elaborate.

"Well actually," Leaf smiled slightly as a new thought struck her, "I was practicing earlier, and I still can't bring out my Aura yet… Can't you give me some more hints or something? I just can't figure it out!"

Riley chuckled slightly and adjusted his hat, "Sorry, but I don't think it works that way. It's not really something you can figure out and solve… like a problem that has or needs an immediate answer. It's more something that you feel… deep inside of you…"

"Okay… now you just sound like a guru," Leaf groaned.

Riley chuckled again, "Maybe you're right, but the truth is: I'm afraid I can't offer much more advice… It's not easy to bring out your Aura for the first time, and the process is most likely different for each person… But, I'd say it was easier for me, when I was just starting out, to think of a particularly strong emotion. It really does help to make it easier…"

"So I have to think of emotions, huh?" Leaf repeated thoughtfully, "Okay, I'll try it…"

She held out her hand and tried to concentrate on her most recent pleasant thoughts, hoping that they might lead her to feel joyful. Maybe she could will the happiness inside her to form into Aura in her hand.

Leaf closed her eyes and remembered how happy she was when Toby and Riley had each decided to come along with her on her quest. It was great having two kind friends that were always there… She thought of the day Knuckles was born… the day he evolved… that was the day she had captured Azelf… the day he had joined her team…

Leaf considered them all to be her closest of friends… She would risk facing Team Galactic for any of them… How had she managed to find so many that she cared about in such a short time…? She barely knew them, but yet…

"I-I… _I did it_!" Leaf cried out. A tiny blue light glowed in the palm of her hand. It was small, delicate, liable to disappear from even the slightest gust of wind… but it was there! She had brought out her Aura!

"I knew you would, I could feel it," Riley cradled her hand in his gingerly, as if fearful that the tiny light might disappear any second.

"Haaa…" Knuckles breathed, wide-eyed. Then he grinned. She had finally done it!

"Hey Toby! Look! Look at my Aura!" Leaf cried.

But Toby was busy struggling with the line… "Big… fish…" he grunted and tried his hardest to reel it in.

"Hang on!" Riley got up to help.

"Ah…!" Leaf squeaked. The moment Riley's hand let go of hers, the Aura in her hand faded and disappeared, "It's gone…" she stared at her now empty hand sadly, "Ugh! Whatever! Let's just help Toby!" Leaf decided to forget about it for now; there were bigger fish out there… Literally!

"Man, it's strong!" Leaf struggled with the others to reel in the monstrous fish. It wasn't until Knuckles gave the rod a forceful heave when the fish was revealed to be a mighty Gyarados!

"_Gyarados_!" Leaf cried. She knew just how nasty these Pokémon could be…

"I-It's _huge_…!" Riley managed to say.

"Pikachu!" Toby directed his Pikachu to use Thundershock, and Gyarados thrashed in pain and anger. The blue sea monster managed to shake off the electric attack relatively easily though, and he did not seem pleased about being attacked by such a weak Pokémon.

"Toby…" Riley looked uneasy, "I don't Pikachu has a high enough level to stand much of a chance here…"

"No way!" Toby grinned proudly, "Pikachu very strong!"

"Toby! Really! I think we'd better get out of here!" Leaf started to edge away in fear.

"Go! Again!" Toby directed Pikachu.

The little Pikachu began to prepare her next attack, her cheeks sparking with electric power.

But Gyarados wasn't having any of that; he suddenly flew down and bit down on the little creature's body. From within the depths of Gyarados' massive mouth, Pikachu let out muffled screams.

"Aaaaaah! Noooo! Gyarados EAT Pikachu!" Toby shouted, "Go Grovyle! Attack bad Gyarados!"

In a flash of red light, Grovyle appeared on the scene. He looked up and was surprised to see his buddy Pikachu in dire straits. Indeed, the little Pikachu was currently thrashing around in Gyarados' mouth, and Gyarados was trying his hardest to swallow the chubby mouse.

"Grovyle! Grov!" Toby cried.

Grovyle quickly fired an Energy Ball at Gyarados' face. The giant sea monster roared in pain, causing Pikachu to fall out and safely land in Toby's arms.

"Yay! Pikachu is safe!" Toby said happily and hugged his Pikachu gratefully.

"I think that's our cue to get out of here…!" Riley said quickly, echoing Leaf's earlier concern.

"No, Grovyle destroy Gyarados!" Toby said with confidence, "More!" he cried out to his Grass type.

But Grovyle took one look at the peeved-off Gyarados and flew into a panic. The once-heroic Grovyle promptly fled the scene, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Now that Pikachu was safe, all he really cared about was getting the heck _out _of there!

"Grovyle is chicken!" Toby looked annoyed and recalled the grass type, "Gyarados is _not_ scary!"

"Yeah right!" Leaf hid behind Knuckles as Gyarados let out a loud shriek of rage.

"Toby will use… different Pokémon…!" Toby fumbled around in his pockets frantically, trying to find one that was strong and brave enough to defeat Gyarados, "Uh…"

"SQUAAAAA…!" a loud bird's call suddenly echoed throughout the caverns.

"What… what was that?" Leaf looked around wildly. She looked up at Gyarados to see it promptly electrocuted by a strong shock.

"Was that…?" Riley blinked profusely.

The three Trainers, Pikachu, and Knuckles could only stare in surprise as they beheld the magnificent bird Pokémon fly gracefully away.

oOoOoOo

Notes: I totally re-wrote the ending of this chapter. It was far too horribly stupid before, what with Gyarados attacking randomly for no real reason… I hope this makes more sense.

And, if you want to know the answers concerning the symbolism in Leaf's dream…

You'll find out…

Next time! =D


	40. Chapter 40: Are You Ready for Snow?

"Zapdos…" Leaf breathed as she watched the majestic yellow bird fly off into the distance. It was traveling too fast for them to have a chance of keeping up, and it was headed south, opposite of where they needed to go…

"Zapdos? What is that?" Toby looked confused, "Big electric bird?"

"What would Zapdos be doing here… in the caves of Mount Coronet?" Riley wondered aloud as he peered into the distance at its retreating figure.

"I don't know, but Professor Oak _did_ say that the legendary birds traveled here to Sinnoh for some reason… and it looks like he was right," Leaf stepped around her Lucario to get a closer look at the fainted Gyarados, "But what I'm wondering is: why did it decide to attack Gyarados?"

"Who knows?" Riley shrugged as he walked over to look as well, "But it sure was lucky for us that it did."

"I'll say…" Leaf shuddered slightly as she gazed at Gyarados' sharp teeth.

"Toby, Leaf, Riley, and Knuckles must go now! Before Gyarados wake up!" Toby urged as he seized Leaf and Riley's arms and tugged, "Must go now!"

"Probably not such a bad idea…" Leaf agreed as the two allowed themselves to be led away.

oOoOoOo

"Hmm… you know what, Riley? I've been thinking…" Leaf piped up after they were far away from that hungry Gyarados, "Your Lucario is the only one that doesn't have a nickname…"

Riley shrugged, "I don't nickname my Pokémon."

"What is it with guys not nicknaming their Pokémon…?" Leaf looked thoughtful, "Are they afraid of being too sentimental or do they just hate putting in the effort?"

"Toby 'nickname' Ki!" Toby chimed in, happy to further expand his vocabulary.

"Yeah, you nicknamed your first Pokémon, but did you bother to come up with any other nicknames for the rest of your Pokémon?" Leaf pointed out.

"No…" Toby admitted, looking sad.

"See? I think I may be onto something here," Leaf teased.

"I don't know about everyone else, but I don't nickname _any_ of my Pokémon," Riley continued, "I'm not creative enough to think up that many nicknames."

"You don't have to nickname _all_ of your Pokémon, I guess, but I really think you should nickname your Lucario so we can easily pick him out from Ki and Knuckles…"

"You have a good point, but I'm telling you: I really can't think of one," Riley insisted.

"Don't worry, we'll help you!" Leaf beamed, "It might take some time, but I'm sure we'll come up with the perfect nickname!"

"Yes! Toby help!" Toby nodded.

"Well, I'm not choosing anything unless Lucario approves as well," Riley declared and released his Pokémon.

"Hey there!" Leaf greeted the Lucario, "Toby and I are going to figure out the _perfect _nickname for you!"

The Lucario looked somewhat nervous. What kind of nickname would the two of _them_ possibly think up…? He swallowed nervously. He certainly wasn't looking forward to it…

"How about Sonic?" Leaf grinned at Riley, "Your Rukario is fast, isn't he?"

"I don't know… that makes me think of a Crobat…" Riley looked doubtful.

"What?" Leaf gawked at him, "Why a _Crobat_?"

"Well… they know supersonic, don't they?" Riley shrugged.

"Moocario is good name?" Toby suggested. They group of them happening to be walking past a Pokémon battle in which one of the trainers was using a Miltank.

Riley just raised an eyebrow. Leaf couldn't hold back her laughter, "_Moo_-cario? You've got to be kidding me!" she chortled as she and Knuckles laughed and laughed.

"What is funny?" Toby blinked. Riley's Lucario just gritted his teeth.

"Nothing is funny because I'm _not_ going to use that name," Riley was not amused.

"I'm sorry guys, but that was hilarious," Leaf wiped away her tears, "You should've seen Rukario's face!"

Riley looked thoughtful, "Wait… Leaf, what is it that you sometimes call my Lucario?"

"Huh? Rukario?" Leaf blinked. Was that what he meant?

"Yeah, that… Rukario… I think I'll call him that," Riley decided.

"What? That's just Lucario pronounced a little differently!" Leaf exclaimed, "Really! The difference is hardly even noticeable!"

"I like it. It's simple, and I think Rukario likes it too," Riley smiled at his Lucario, who gave him a friendly grin in return.

"Well… I guess it's your choice…" Leaf acted as though she was defeated, but secretly she was pleased that he wound up choosing something that she had come up with.

"Toby tired… Dinner now?" Toby dragged his feet and then perked up the moment he said the word 'dinner'.

"Sure," Riley agreed, "Let's look for a spot to rest for the evening, and then we'll have something to eat."

"Great! Toby find good place!" Toby jumped up with joy and then ran off to find a place to set up camp. Leaf and Riley glanced at each other before running off after him.

oOoOoOo

"Over there is good place," Toby told them after they had climbed an impressive ledge, "See? Over there!" he pointed at an old cave nestled deep into the rock face not too far ahead of them. The only way to get there, however, was to sidle along a narrow ledge…

"I don't know…" Leaf nervously looked down over the edge. It was a pretty long fall down…

"Leaf not fall," Toby assured her, "If Leaf fall, Toby have Staraptor catch Leaf!"

"Staraptor!" Staraptor called out affirmatively once Toby released him from his Pokéball.

"Okay! Fine!" Leaf just gave in, "… You go first, though."

"Okay, Toby go now…!" Toby carefully sidled along the edge until he reached the other side, "See? Very easy!"

Riley looked over at Leaf and motioned for her to go ahead of him. However, she shook her head and stepped further away.

"Alright, guess I'll go…" Riley carefully sidled along the wall, taking care not to look down. It didn't take him long to safely reach the other side.

"Go ahead. You go next," Leaf said to Knuckles, but he shook his head. He wasn't going across until she did.

"Fine…" Leaf moaned. She leaned against the cold rock and carefully edged along the narrow ledge.

"Leaf not worry!" Toby called out to her.

"You're almost there!" Riley urged.

"Please… just… shut up…!" Leaf groaned. She squeezed her eyes shut and froze, fearful that she might look down at this moment of exasperation. Once she collected herself, she reopened her eyes and continued the rest of the way. She breathed out a sigh of relief once she finally reached the other side. How wonderful it will be to repeat the process the next morning…

"See? Very easy!" Toby grinned. Leaf just ignored him, and anxiously watched her Lucario sidle across the ledge until he reached the other side.

"Toby make fire now!" Toby announced and marched into the cave. Riley and Leaf could only blink at each other before following after him.

"Uh… do you even have any firewood or anything, Toby?" Leaf asked as he glanced over the decent sized cavern.

"Yes! Toby have lots!" Toby nodded and proceeded to dump the contents of his old, weathered knapsack onto the ground.

"_What_? You mean you've been carrying around a bunch of _sticks_ in that backpack the entire time!" Leaf exclaimed, "And that's _it_?"

Toby just shrugged, "What else Toby keep in there? Toby not need anything more important than firewood."

"You certainly are unique, Toby," Riley remarked.

"Hmm… Toby not know what that means, but Toby ready to make fire now! Come Torchic!" Toby pulled out a Pokéball and released his Torchic.

"Torchic!" Torchic sang out. She was pretty much used to Riley and Leaf by now, so she wasn't so afraid of them anymore.

"Torchic! Torch! Torchic!" Toby cried to his Pokémon in a high pitched squeaky tone. His voice was cracking pretty badly from speaking that way, but apparently Torchic could still understand him because she promptly began to spew flames from her beak to make a campfire.

"You know… I don't think I'll ever get used to that…" Riley said to Leaf.

"Me neither, but I gotta admit: it's pretty cool being able to talk to your Pokémon like that," Leaf replied.

"Fire is here! Now Toby go to look for food!" Toby declared as he recalled Torchic.

"Uh, that's okay, Toby; I'll share some of my food with you," Leaf said quickly.

"Besides, I don't think there are any berries or anything like that around here," Riley added.

Toby made a face, "Toby not eat _berries_! Berries is _Pikachu_ food! Toby like to eat Weedle, Rattata, Pachirisu…"

"Okay, Toby!" Leaf cut him off, "Like I said, I'll share some of my food with you, so it's fine!"

Riley just looked like he was going to be sick. He was at a complete loss for words…

oOoOoOo

The next day, the three friends headed off on their quest to find Lake Acuity. After several hours of traversing Mt. Coronet…

"Ah! We're finally out!" Leaf cried out as they finally beheld the snowy landscape beyond Mt. Coronet.

"Fresh air!" Toby nodded happily, glad to be out of the dreary caves of the mountain chain.

Leaf shivered from the slight breeze. It sure was cold! She quickly pulled out her new coat, switched her regular white hat with a warmer one, and put on her scarf while she was at it. Toby and Riley followed suit, putting on their jackets too.

"Okay, Knuckles! I think it's time for you to get into your Pokéball…" Leaf said to him as she held it out.

Knuckles immediately began to protest frantically.

"Aw, c'mon! Work with me here… I'm only asking because I don't want to you to, like, you know, _freeze to death_!"

"Leaf, if I may…" Riley began politely.

"Huh? What is it?" Leaf turned to him, wondering what he had to say.

"Well, Lucario are accustomed to living up in snowy and mountainous regions, so I don't think your Lucario will have any problems out here in the cold," Riley explained.

"Are you cold?" Leaf asked her Pokémon. Knuckles promptly shook his head.

"How do I know you're not just saying that?" Leaf frowned. Knuckles just looked at her pleadingly. "Ok, fine… I guess it's okay for now…" she rolled her eyes.

"Snowing…?" Toby looked up at the sky curiously. Sure enough, tiny, delicate snowflakes started to dance down from the heavens.

"It's really beautiful here," Leaf smiled as silence enveloped the snowy landscape with peace.

After a brief appreciation of the landscape, the four travelers continued their journey across the snow-covered land. After a long walk, they came across a small tavern of some sort.

"Should we stop there for a while for a rest?" Riley asked.

"Sure, why not?" Leaf shrugged. Then she looked over at Knuckles, "Aw, Knuckles, you look so pretty!" she teased.

Knuckles was practically glistening from all the tiny snowflakes resting all over his fur. He growled at her comment and shook himself so that the snowflakes scattered pretty much everywhere.

"Actually, you've got the same thing happening to your hair," Riley pointed out.

"What? Really?" Leaf adjusted her hair to rest onto her shoulders, and sure enough, she had tiny snowflakes clinging all over her hair as well.

"I bet you've got tons of snowflakes on top of your hat," Leaf grinned at Riley.

"Not anymore," Riley took off his hat momentarily and shook off the hundreds of snowflakes that had been resting on it.

"Hello, weary travelers!" a heavyset hiker man greeted loudly once they entered the tavern.

"Hi," Leaf nodded at him. Toby yanked off the hood of his jacket and sweater, sending snowflakes everywhere.

"Whoa! Watch it there, fella! We don't want water all over the floor now!" the jolly man laughed.

"Sorry 'bout that," Leaf apologized for him before Toby could even open his mouth, "We're not from around here, so we were wondering if we could rest here for a while…"'

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. All the travelers headed up 'round these parts all hafta stop here at some point. In fact, this is the only place to stay for miles. If you're headed to Snowpoint City, I'd recommend y'all stop here for the night since it's the last place to stay that you'll see for a long while."

"Really?" Riley looked surprised.

"How far is Snowpoint City from here?" Leaf asked the hiker.

"Quite a few miles. It'd probably take the rest of the day… I'd say. Weather's pretty good, so I think y'all should get there 'fore nightfall if y'all walked pretty quickly."

"Hmm… Thanks," Leaf looked thoughtful as she began to wonder what they should do.

"You're welcome," the hiker grinned and headed off to do whatever it was that he was doing.

"Toby… so… hungry…" Toby moaned as he smelled the delicious aroma wafting in from the kitchen.

"What do you say we grab a bite to eat and figure out what we want to do from there?" Riley suggested.

"Sounds good," Leaf agreed.

oOoOoOo

Warning: SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't played through the game Pokémon Platinum and don't want pivotal moments in the game revealed to you, DO NOT read the following author's notes!

Sorry to be somewhat over-dramatic, but I didn't want to ruin another reader's experience with the game…

Notes: Ah, sorry for the long wait, but here it is: the answers you've been waiting for… What did Leaf's dream mean way back in chapter 33?

Yes, a few of you were right about the being with the red eyes and grin emerging from the portal being Giratina… but what did Riley and Lucario being in pain mean? Well, if you look at it this way… When does Giratina decide to reveal himself? He does near the end of the game, when Cyrus has captured and tortured the two Pokémon…. Dialga and Palkia… Do you see now?

Giratina comes when Dialga and Palkia are in danger, so the situation here suggests that Riley and Lucario represent those two Pokémon… because Giratina appeared in Leaf's dream when they were in trouble. So, I tried to do a little symbolism and foreshadowing at the same time, I guess... Hopefully, it makes sense to everybody now…?


	41. Chapter 41: Snowstorm

"Well, what do you think? Should we stay or should we get going? I'm starting to think that we should just keep moving," Leaf mused aloud as she took another sip of hot chocolate. As of right now, the three had all finished eating their lunch, and they were now finishing up with a little hot chocolate. Even Knuckles was drinking some.

"Toby want to stay and drink more hot chocolate," Toby held his cup lovingly.

Riley chuckled, "The hot chocolate is pretty good, but I'm sure they'll have other places selling it up in Snowpoint City."

"Really? Then Toby want to go now!" Toby nodded, slamming his cup onto the table definitively and ignoring the brown liquid he splashed onto the table in doing so. Life outside the forest sure was turning out to be a lot better than he had expected! Humans always came up with such great things to eat and drink. Before now, he was always drinking river water and eating whatever Pokémon Grovyle could catch for him.

"Yeah, that hiker guy did say we should be able to get to Snowpoint City before nightfall, so we probably should just keep going. I don't want to have to stick around here all day and night for no reason, even if they do have great food here," Leaf added.

"But, didn't you want to go to Lake Acuity first? It might take us quite some time to find it…" Riley pointed out.

"No, I was thinking we'd go straight to Snowpoint, rest there for the night, and then search for Lake Acuity in the morning… how does that sound to you?"

"Sure. That sounds fine."

"Excuse me?" the waitress walked up to their table. She was holding a bowl of what looked like green Pokémon food, but Leaf wasn't entirely sure what she had there. "We're trying to empty out the last of our Poffins before we make some more fresh ones, so would any of you Trainers care for some?" the waitress asked kindly.

"Oh yes! Toby's Pokémon will try good food!" Toby grinned at the tasty looking Poffins.

"Great! Here you go!" the waitress set the bowl down on the table and left.

"Those look like bitter Poffins," Riley remarked as Toby picked one up and sniffed it.

"Yuck! This is _gross_ food!" Toby made a face, "Toby's Pokémon not like this! This is _yuck_!"

Leaf took the bowl of Poffins and smelled them herself, "Whoa, man! Those _are_ bitter!" she nearly sneezed from the strong scent, "… Well, what you say, Knuckles? Do you like bitter food?"

Knuckles shook his head. He preferred spicy food.

"Do any of your Pokémon like this stuff, Riley?" Leaf asked him.

"No, my Pokémon only like either sour or spicy Poffins, I'm afraid," Riley responded.

Leaf didn't even bother asking Toby; he was still sitting there making disgusted faces at the Poffins, "Well, if nobody else wants any, I guess I'll give them all to Blathers… since he's the only Pokémon here that would like them…"

"Muahahahahaha!" Blathers laughed maniacally once he was released from the Pokéball.

"Okay, Blathers! Stop acting crazy and have some of these tasty Poffins," Leaf held out the bowl expectantly, thinking he would totally love them. But Blathers was too busy staring down Riley.

"Um… is something wrong with your Chatot…?" Riley leaned back in his seat uneasily and wondered why on earth this Pokémon wouldn't stop staring at him.

"Leave him alone, Blathers! Just eat these blasted Poffins already!" Leaf ordered.

"…A winner is you!" Blathers suddenly shouted at Riley.

"Okay, whatever; just _eat_," Leaf rolled her eyes at her little bird.

"YAY! Cookies! And they aren't virtual! Wahoo! O nom, nom, nom!" Blathers hurriedly began to dig into the Poffins.

"Sorry about that, Riley," Leaf said sheepishly as Riley readjusted his hat, "My Chatot is absolutely crazy; there's no denying it… but at least sometimes he can be funny…"

"Funny? You think I'm… funny?" Blathers immediately looked up from his 'cookies' and gawked at Leaf in surprise, his eyes twinkling with tears.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about… It's one of your favorite phrases…" Leaf looked over at Knuckles and smirked, "So, Blathers… you mind telling me how high Knuckles' attack stat is…?"

The Chatot forgot all about his tasty Poffins (save for the one in his talons) and scurried over to Knuckles to get a good look at him. He peered at the Lucario closely with his good eye, and then revealed the answer…

"IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAANNNND!" Blathers roared and crushed the half-eaten Poffin in his talons. Leaf and Toby burst out laughing, but Knuckles and Riley just looked perplexed.

"I don't understand… How was that funny?" Riley looked confused.

"It's the _way_ he said it!" Leaf could barely answer him, her eyes wet with tears.

Blathers shoved the smashed Poffin into his mouth, "Aw yeah, I _owned_ this blasted cookie!" he nodded and then hopped over to the rest of his Poffins.

After Toby and Leaf had calmed down, Blathers began to look at the last of his Poffins lovingly, "Oh… _Riley_…" Blathers gushed in a perfect imitation of Leaf, "I just _can't_ stop thinking about you, Riley…! You're so… _mysterious_… and hot…!"

"_What_? I… I _never_ taught him to say that! I mean, I _never_ said that! That-that-that's so… I _never_ said that!" Leaf said frantically. Toby and Knuckles began to snicker.

"Oh, Riley! I just can't _ever_ leave you…! We should travel _everywhere _together! Then we'll get married and love each other forever and _ever_!" Blathers continued, in perfect imitation of his Trainer.

"That's enough!" Leaf growled and recalled him, "NOTHING IS FUNNY!" she roared at Toby and Knuckles, both of whom were still snickering. They gradually stopped, but no one knew how Riley felt about the entire matter since he had lowered his hat so much so that his face was in shadows.

"Uh…yeah… I don't know about everyone else, but I'm ready to go! We can't wait around forever, right?" Leaf said breathlessly, "Let's go!"

oOoOoOo

"It looks like it's snowing harder now…" Riley looked a little worried, after they had all headed outdoors once again.

"Well, it's not like there's going to be a snowstorm or anything, right?" Leaf shrugged.

"Toby like snow. Very cold and soft!" Toby caught a few snowflakes in his hand and grinned at them. Then he shook out his hand and quickly forgot about them, "Can Toby find Pokémon that hide in snow?"

"I doubt it, Toby. Now, come on; let's go," Leaf wrapped her arms around herself for warmth and began to trudge through the snow.

oOoOoOo

The further the four of them traveled, the harder it became to walk through the ever increasing accumulation of snow. The wind was kicking up, and the snow began to fall even harder. Leaf didn't want to admit it, but this was definitely a snowstorm…

"Okay, so do you think it's too late to head back?" Leaf had to blink furiously to see through the blinding snowfall.

"Which way is back?" Toby cried.

"It's that way, I think, but we've been walking for over an hour now; it'd be useless to try to head back now! It'd be a farther walk than if we just headed straight for the city!" Riley had to raise his voice to be heard over the howling wind.

"I don't think that's right!" Leaf shielded her eyes and looked back in the direction Riley had indicated, "You know what? I really think we've been walking in circles ever since the wind picked up!"

"Which way to go?" Toby looked extremely confused and worried, "What to do? Leaf, Toby, Riley, and Knuckles lost in storm of snow!"

"Just a second! I'll be right back in a minute!" Leaf realized that Knuckles was trailing far behind. She headed over to him, irritated with herself for not realizing it earlier. "Hey, Knuckles, are you okay?" she called to him.

Knuckles nodded, but he was shivering a little too violently for Leaf to truly believe that response. She quickly embraced her Pokémon to warm him up, if only slightly, "You must be freezing… Here… let me see your feet…" That was the area that she was concerned about the most. The fur on his legs was not as long as the rest of his coat, and he had been exposing that vulnerable area for far too long by walking through all this deep snow. Leaf hurriedly dug through the snow to see that, underneath the short black fur of her Lucario's legs, he looked to be quite red from the cold, and his feet were starting to become encrusted with small bits of ice.

"Knuckles! Why didn't you tell me! You must be freezing!" Leaf exclaimed, "This is horrible! I can't let you go any further! You _have_ to get into your Pokéball!"

Despite everything, Knuckles stubbornly shook his head. He could make it; he didn't need to be carried around in a Pokéball.

"I'm worried about you, Knuckles! You'll freeze if you stay out here much longer!" Leaf held out her Pokéball expectantly. But still, Knuckles refused.

"Well, honestly, I couldn't care less what you have to say about it!" Leaf snapped. "You're getting in this Pokéball and that's final!" Knuckles could only widen his eyes in protest before he was sucked into the confines of his Pokéball.

Leaf quickly tucked the Pokéball into her pocket where she knew it would be warm and hurried back over to Riley and Toby. Knuckles was too stubborn for his own good. She didn't like being short with a Pokémon like that, but he had it coming.

"Is your Lucario okay?" Riley asked her once she returned.

"He is now. But he was in bad shape from all this cold, so I had to put him in his Pokéball. I don't think he liked it, though…" Leaf didn't even know why she was bothering to tell Riley all this. He probably couldn't even hear her all that clearly in this horrible wind.

"Okay. I'm glad he's alright," Riley nodded.

"What about Toby, Riley, and Leaf?" Toby asked, reminding them all that they really needed to save themselves first if they even wanted a small shot at saving anyone else.

"We'll have to keep walking until we find shelter somewhere…" Riley reasoned.

"Like where?" Leaf strained to see anything in this world of white.

"Ah! Look! Shining bird!" Toby cried.

"What?" Leaf looked up and beheld a magnificent blue bird soaring overhead. She recognized it from somewhere before… It was Articuno!

"What Pokémon is that?" Riley looked amazed.

"It's Articuno!" Leaf cried, "We have to follow it! No time for questions! Just hurry!"

The three of them hurried through the snow as quickly as they could given the now massive snowdrifts, but Articuno seemed to be slowing down for them. It was almost as if Articuno wanted them to follow her, that legendary savior of lost souls.

The majestic bird landed gracefully atop the roof of a small house and delicately preened her feathers as she waited for the trainers to arrive. Once they did, Articuno promptly flew off, glistening beautifully even in the brutal winds of the snowstorm.

"Did Articuno just lead us here to find shelter?" Riley asked no one in particular.

"I think so, but let's worry about that once we're inside…!" Leaf knocked loudly on the door.

"Just open the door!" Toby, being from the forest, didn't often think about things like manners, and he forced his way inside by rattling the doorknob and shoving until it opened. Apparently, the door must have been pretty old because it actually worked.

"Toby! You're not supposed to do that! That's called breaking and entering you know!" Leaf cried.

"Toby not break anything!" Toby protested and walked inside.

"Well, we're inside, anyway," Riley shrugged, "Is anyone here?"

Toby walked into the kitchen and even checked the bathroom, "Nope. No person is here."

Riley shut the door with great difficulty (since it was partially broken now) while Leaf tried to turn on the lights.

"Great, there's no electricity," she sighed, "Toby, do you have any more sticks or something so we can start a fire?" she hadn't seen any wood piles around outside, so she assumed there wasn't any firewood here.

"Toby burned all Toby's sticks yesterday in fire," Toby reminded her, "Toby not find more sticks since."

"Great… Well then, I'm assuming that nobody's lived here in ages, and I can just take their stuff now," Leaf pulled off all the blankets on the only bed and then released her Flareon. "I'm guessing all we can do now is try to stay warm until the snowstorm blows over," she took a seat on the floor, snuggled underneath the blankets she just stole, and hugged Blaze for increased warmth.

"Torchic! Torch!" Toby chirped after he let out his Torchic. He sat down beside Leaf and held his toasty warm Pokémon in his arms.

"What I wouldn't give for a fire type Pokémon right about now," Riley sighed as he sat down beside Leaf and got underneath the freezing-cold blankets like everyone else.

"I think I can share Blaze," Leaf smiled as the Flareon stretched out to accommodate Riley as well.

"Thanks," Riley gently stroked the fire Pokémon's bushy tail with his hand.

"Toby is still very cold," Toby shivered as he hugged Torchic tightly and nestled closer to Leaf.

"It's not great, but it's better than being trapped outside," Leaf tried her best to keep her teeth from chattering. The room was drafty, and she could hear the wind beating against the house.

"I hope the house doesn't fall apart…" Riley remarked after the house creaked and groaned as the wind howled savagely against it.

"Toby hope house not get buried under snow," Toby groaned.

No one spoke for a long time afterward. Leaf was cold and hungry, but most of all, she was feeling drowsy. And there was nothing to focus on except for the cold. As time wore on, she began to realize how much she didn't like being squished between Toby and Riley, but at the same time, she did feel a little grateful for it since she was most likely the warmer for it.

Her thoughts then began to drift onto Azelf and all the rest of her Pokémon. Were they warm inside their Pokéballs? She had moved them all from her bag to her coat pocket earlier in an attempt to keep them warmer, but she wasn't certain if it was really working or not. Every time she pulled off her glove a little and touched the Pokéballs, they always felt bone-chillingly cold.

Leaf felt her eyelids drooping, but she was thinking too hard about other things to care much about it.

"Leaf…!" She felt a sharp nudge in her ribs, and she snapped out of her trance to realize that it was Riley.

"You were falling asleep; not such a great idea when it's this cold out…" he said to her.

"Sorry…" Leaf leaned more heavily against the wall, blinking off sleep.

"You're falling asleep again…!" Riley started to jab her again.

"Stop it! I'm fine now!" she snapped.

"Ah, okay… Sorry…"

"Toby is very cold…!" Toby sniffed.

"We all are, Toby," Leaf sighed, "We just have to wait until the storm passes."

Suddenly, the Pokéballs in the Trainers' pockets all popped open, releasing the Pokémon inside.

"What…? What's going on? Why did all of you come out?" Leaf blinked at the Pokémon before her, the only ones missing from the picture were Knuckles and Azelf.

Toby's Lucario grinned slightly and spoke for everyone.

"Ki say that Pokémon not want Trainers to be alone in cold. All friends, so all be in cold together," Toby translated.

"But aren't all of you warmer in your Pokéballs?" Riley managed to ask, even though he was currently encased in a crushing hug from his Pinsir.

"No, they suck," Blathers replied curtly and nestled onto Leaf's shoulder. Popuri settled herself on Leaf's other shoulder, and Vegeta beamed at her at his place on the floor before them. Leaf gave a slightly weak smile in return. As she watched Riley and Toby's Pokémon give and receive similar friendly greetings to each other, Leaf began to wonder if Knuckles was angry at her.

She didn't expect Azelf to come out; in fact she preferred that he didn't. Even though she doubted Team Galactic or Hunter J would ever head this way with such a terrible storm going on, she would rather be safe than sorry in such a situation. But Knuckles… she kind of assumed he would come out on his own like the others…

As she thought on it, she realized it had indeed been weird to her at first, to have Pokémon that always hung around her, always denying the convenience of the Pokéball in favor of staying outside with her, never leaving her side even to go to sleep at night… But now, it felt strange to her not having him around. She had grown used to his presence and now had a feeling of how greatly she would surely miss him, if everything ever caused them to be separated.

Leaf bit her lip thoughtfully. Apparently, Knuckles was not like any other Pokémon she had ever trained before... or maybe he was merely as stubborn as Heatran.

"Huh? Knuckles?" Leaf blinked when his Pokéball suddenly popped open on its own, just like the others had, and he was finally released. Knuckles just stood there with his eyes closed, and didn't say anything even when he finally opened them.

"Uh…?" she waited, but apparently, he had nothing to say.

"I didn't mean to snap at you," Leaf decided she would speak first, "I suppose I was just really worried about you, you know… and I can't have you turning into an ice cube on me now…"

Knuckles nodded and sat down across from her next to Vegeta. He seemed to be doing his best to be more agreeable, and that just set Leaf over the edge.

"Oh, just get over here, all of you!" Leaf grinned widely as she leaned over to grab that Lucario. She managed to catch him in a crushing hug with Blaze caught in between.

"Interesting… so _this_ is what it feels like to be cheesy, I see." Blathers remarked in a gentlemanly voice as he wrapped one of his wings around Leaf's head and the other around Knuckles' ear.

Popuri twittered happily as she embraced her friends with her soft, cotton-like wings. Vegeta, for his part, settled on just patting Leaf's back. He knew he was capable of crushing them all with one of his impressive hugs, but now probably wasn't the best time for that…

oOoOoOo

Notes: I have to admit, there is something mildly satisfying in being moderately cheesy… Augh! What am I saying! I can't allow for this _cheese_! I'm lactose intolerant! :O

But forget about that, I had something important to say here, something I wanted to clear up: yes, I decided to make Articuno female. I'm well aware that legendries have no gender, but I get tired of always referring to a Pokémon as an 'it'. So, I'm just going to assign genders to legendary Pokémon whenever Leaf encounters them. Sorry if it bugs any of you people out there.


	42. Chapter 42: Lake Acuity

Leaf awoke to find sunlight streaming on her face through the window. She yawned and stretched her arms, taking care to avoid the sleeping Pokémon that were practically all around her. She felt completely stiff, thanks to falling asleep while in a sitting position for the entire night. Toby and Riley had done the same thing though, so she didn't feel too upset about it.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Leaf continually poked Toby's shoulder until he started to flinch.

"N-no… Toby not… Toby still… sleeping…" he grumbled quietly in his sleep.

Leaf rolled her eyes and decided to give up on him for now. She looked over at Riley, but she couldn't really tell if he was sleeping or not. His hat was so low on his face that she couldn't see whether or not his eyes were open, and he wasn't exactly snoring or anything like that. So Leaf cautiously lifted Riley's hat a little to discover that he actually was sound asleep. "Morning, Riley." she tapped once on his shoulder, and he suddenly jolted awake at that simple touch.

Leaf was about to apologize for it, but the startled and confused Riley spoke first. "W-what? What time is it?" he sputtered and blinked rather furiously in an attempt to try to ease his grogginess.

"I dunno; eight?" Leaf quickly glanced at her watch for verification, "Yeah, ten after eight."

"Wow… I thought I fell asleep for only a few minutes," Riley rubbed his head as if he had a headache.

"Think you can wake up your cousin here? I tried, but it didn't work," Leaf grinned and pointed at Toby. He was still sleeping, only now he had slid onto the floor and was lying on several of his Pokémon.

"He must be tired," Riley shrugged, "Ah well… at least it's not as cold as it was yesterday."

After Toby finally woke up and everyone had a light breakfast, the trainers returned the Pokémon to their Pokéballs and decided that they had better get moving.

"Be careful opening the door-!" Leaf began, but Toby had already yanked it open, causing a small mountain of snow to pour onto the floor.

"Whoa! So much snow!" Toby exclaimed. Indeed, the snow outside had accumulated past Leaf's waist. Taking the drifts into account, some places might actually be as tall as Knuckles!

"Man, they really get blasted here, don't they?" Leaf looked taken aback. It would snow sometimes in the winter back in her hometown of Cerulean City, but the snow there never got higher than her ankles at the most. This place was absolutely insane… It was only early spring here in Sinnoh.

"It shouldn't be so bad," Riley pointed out as he placed his gloved hand on top of the snow, "Turns out, there's a thick layer of ice on top of all this snow; so hopefully, we'll be able to walk right on top of it."

"That's so cool!" Leaf beamed as Riley climbed on top of the snow. The ice easily held his weight. Leaf was more used to ice storms than snowstorms, but she had to admit, a combination of the two together made for some fun and unique traveling!

Meanwhile, poor Knuckles struggled to try to get up onto the snow. The ice was pretty slippery, so it was pretty hard for him to find a solid grip. Not to mention, the fact that he was hardly much taller than the snow itself didn't help much either.

"Go! Knuckles!" Toby hoisted the Pokémon up and gave him a good shove.

"Dang, Toby," Leaf blinked, "Isn't Knuckles kinda, I don't know, heavy? How can you just pick him up like that?"

"Toby is very tough and strong," Toby explained proudly.

"Okay, Leaf, are you ready?" Riley asked and offered his hand.

"Uh, I guess. Thanks," Leaf took his hand and tried to hoist herself up, but she slipped a bit from the ice. While she was attempting to steady herself, Leaf suddenly felt a sharp tug on the back of her jacket, "No, no! Don't! I'm fine!" she tried to tell whoever it was, but instead she wound up losing her balance entirely and fell flat on her face. She almost knocked over Riley as well since he was still holding onto her hand, but luckily, he managed to catch himself in time.

"Blast it! Who pulled on my coat?" she exclaimed.

Knuckles looked sheepish and grunted an apology. Apparently, he hadn't even heard her earlier and was merely trying to help her out.

"You're okay?" Riley asked her, "You aren't hurt?"

"Don't worry. I'm fine," Leaf replied as she brushed her hair out of her eyes.

After all the confusion was reasonably dealt with, Toby hoisted himself up rather easily. He and Riley then attempted to shut the door, but it was a pretty difficult process, considering all the damage that poor old door had suffered lately.

After that was all taken care of, Leaf gazed up at the sunny sky. Thankfully, it was a nice day today. A light snowfall danced in the soft breeze, and it was actually quite beautiful, especially when compared to all the chaos that happened yesterday.

"Do you guys think that was Articuno that led us here yesterday…?" Leaf asked softly as Toby and Riley blinked up at the sky, wondering what on earth she was gazing at.

"I think so. After all, I don't think the three of us would have imagined the same illusion all at the same time…" Riley pointed out.

Leaf looked back at her companions and smiled slightly, "You know, Articuno is rumored to only appear to people that are lost in snowy regions…"

"Well… I'd say we pretty much fit that description…" Riley remarked.

"And you know what else? I've actually run into Articuno once before… back in Kanto."

"Really? Leaf see Articuno in snowy mountain or… where?" Toby wondered.

"Actually, it happened while I was exploring the Seafoam Islands, back when I was about fourteen or so. I was unbelievably lost, of course, but I wasn't in a dire situation or anything like that… Anyway, I actually saw Articuno while I was surfing on Vegeta. I saw her resting on a little island. It was cold and a bit of frost had gathered on the rocks around the islands and whatnot, but it wasn't like there was a ton of snow around or anything like that… Well anyway, as soon as Articuno saw me and Vegeta, she flew off… and I never saw her again… But once I told Professor Oak about it, he hired me as one of his assistants, and I've pretty much been working for him ever since…"

"Leaf is lucky. Toby want to see Articuno again," Toby nodded as they walked onward to Snowpoint City, "Toby want job, too. Toby want money now for more Pokéballs. Then Toby will catch Articuno!"

"Have either of you encountered any other legendary Pokémon before?" Riley wondered.

"No…" Toby shrugged.

"Only Mewtwo," Leaf replied.

"Mew…two?" Riley repeated, "What is that?"

"I'm not too sure, actually; I hear that he's some sort of creepy genetic experiment or something…" she shrugged, "There's rumors that he's a clone of Mew or something, but I'm not even sure if that's true."

"Well, how did you see this Pokémon?"

"I found him one day while I was training in Cerulean Cave… That's actually one of my favorite places to train since it's not that far from home and there are lots of tough Pokémon there."

"Really? Toby want to go there!" Toby said excitedly.

"I could take you there sometime. I'd love to show you guys around Kanto someday," Leaf grinned.

"That'd be a good time," Riley smiled.

"It sure would." she nodded. "Oh, so anyway… back to what I was saying… I was training in Cerulean Cave one day," she continued, "and I happened to look up and see Mewtwo standing up there on some little plateau about a yard or two away. If I had to describe him… I'd say he was pretty tall and ugly, but his eyes were pretty big and expressive… He took one look at me, and flew off. Yes, flew. I guess he's got enough psychic power to be able to fly… Anyway, I searched that blasted cave for days and days afterward, but I didn't ever see him again…" she sighed.

"Well," Riley shrugged. "There's a legendary Pokémon for you… There and then gone."

"What?" Toby looked alarmed. "Then how Toby catch legendary one day?"

"Hey! What's that?" Leaf cried out once she noticed a sign just barely sticking up out of the snow. She started to run toward it, but then she remembered she was walking on ice. Unfortunately she realized this a little too late, and started to slip. She frantically tried to regain her balance, but she just kept slipping and sliding around everywhere.

"Be careful, Leaf!" Riley called out. Knuckles hurried over and tried to steady her, but he wound up just getting crushed when she finally fell, right on top of him.

"Sorry, Knuckles," Leaf said sheepishly. Knuckles just groaned and waited for her to get off of him.

"You have to be more careful," Riley told Leaf as he pulled her to her feet.

"AAAAH! Toby sliding too!" Toby cried, his feet sliding out of control. However, that was put to an abrupt halt when he collided into the mountain in front of them, "Ow… Toby is… hurt…" Toby collapsed onto the ice with a grimace on his face.

"Are you alright?" Riley asked and offered to pull him up as well.

"Toby… must… lay… for ….minute…" Apparently,Toby couldn't shake this off right away.

After Toby and Knuckles had recovered, Leaf got on her knees and peered closely at the sign, "So what does this sign say…? Hey…! I think it says Lake Acuity is ahead!" she cried excitedly.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't Lucario Trainer! Or Twig, or Shrub, or whatever your name is…" a somewhat familiar voice suddenly declared.

"Barry?" Leaf blinked and looked up. Sure enough, there was Barry the Idiot standing up there on top of the little mountain.

"So, I bet you're here looking for Lake Acuity, huh, Twig?" Barry smirked.

"My _name_ is _Leaf_!"

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever! I knew it had something to do with plants… or Lucarios…" Barry looked slightly confused by his own words.

"Barry?" Riley looked up at the young man, "I remember you; you were the one who was lost on Iron Island, weren't you?"

"I wasn't LOST!" Barry screamed, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly, "If you and that stupid jerk Ash hadn't come along and hogged all the glory, I WOULD HAVE taken care of EVERYTHING _myself_, you know!"

"I doubt that," Leaf smirked.

"I heard that! And I'm FINING you for that nasty little comment!" Barry shrieked.

"Whatever," Leaf shrugged, "But what are you doing here anyway? And you aren't even wearing a jacket! You aren't going to last very long like that, you know…"

"Well," Barry smirked rather proudly as if he were the only one who knew a special secret, "_I'm_ here because _I_ just got back from Lake Acuity!"

"What? Really? How'd you do that?" Leaf raised an eyebrow.

"_I_ can go to Lake Acuity because _I_ have the Snowpoint City Gym badge!" Barry held out his shiny new badge proudly.

"What? Are you telling me you need a badge just to get to Lake Acuity?" she exclaimed with irritation.

"Yep, that's right," Barry nodded, still looking extremely pleased with himself, "You need the badge in order to use the move Rockclimb and get up here!"

"Oh really? Is that all?" Leaf smirked at Knuckles, "Well then, if that's the case… let's just go there now!"

"_YOU_ HAVE THE SNOWPOINT CITY GYM BADGE?" Barry exclaimed overdramatically and looked like he might fall off the cliff he was standing on.

"No, but I don't need one to get up there," Leaf waved her arm as if to shrug it off.

"Leaf? What are you talking about?" Riley looked especially confused.

"Don't sweat it, Riley; I've done it before," Leaf assured him as she followed Knuckles over to some rocky ledges along the side of the little mountain. She wrapped her arms round her Pokémon and hung on as Knuckles climbed up the slope with ease.

"W-what? CHEATER!" Barry pointed at Leaf and shrieked.

"C'mon up, you guys!" Leaf called down to her friends once she and Knuckles were safely on top of the mountain.

"I don't know, Leaf; that doesn't sound like such a great idea…" Riley frowned.

"Why not? If Knuckles can do it, I'm sure your Lucario can do it too!"

"Leaf, you're a lot lighter than Toby and I am," Riley pointed out, "It might not be very safe for us to try that."

"Oh, come on," Leaf rolled her eyes, "It's not like you guys are fat or anything; I'm sure your Lucario can handle it…"

"Toby try!" Toby beamed and released Ki from his Pokéball, "Can Ki lift Toby up mountain?" he asked his Pokémon. Ki looked quite a bit hesitant at first, but eventually agreed. He slowly made his way up the mountain with Toby hanging on for dear life.

"WHAAAT?" Barry shrieked and began to flail around like a crazy Magikarp, "You're _ALL_ a bunch of CHEATERS!"

"C'mon, Riley!" Leaf called to him once Toby reached the top.

"Fine…" Riley released his Pokémon and followed suit.

"I can't BELIEVE you people!" Barry shouted once Riley was at his friends' side, "Every single one of you is a blasted CHEATER! I-I-I'm… I'M FINING YOU!"

"Barry is loud," Toby frowned.

"Yeah, you bet," Leaf sighed, "But it doesn't really matter; let's go!"

oOoOoOo

I think you guys might be surprised to find out where Leaf goes next!

Oh yeah, and I updated my pathetic excuse for a profile page with a little bit of extra info about this story, if you ever feel like reading it.


	43. Chapter 43: Obamasnow!

So Leaf, Riley, Toby, and Knuckles made their way to Lake Acuity. Who knows or cares what happened to Barry…

"Wow!" Leaf cried, impressed by the view. Turns out, Lake Acuity was just as pure as Lake Verity and Valor. The small forest surrounding the impressive lake was, not surprisingly, blanketed in a heavy layer of snow. It all looked like one of those beautiful mountain springs you'd see on a water bottle package. Picture perfect.

Wanting to cross the Lake's depths, Leaf let out her Blastoise, who took to the water with a massive splash. Luckily, the frigid water didn't happen to hit anyone…

"Would you mind if I hitched a ride?" Riley asked somewhat sheepishly. "Turns out, I'm actually lacking a water Pokémon at the moment…"

"That's fine; I'm sure Vegeta wouldn't mind carrying you along too." Leaf nodded.

"Uh… Leaf and Riley go to island?" Toby squinted from the brightness of the lake, trying his best to see the tiny island in residing in its center.

"Yeah, Uxie should be in the cavern on that island over there," she explained, "So, that's where we're going."

"Um… Toby have to ride _Mudkip _to get to island…?" he looked hesitant.

"On second thought, yeah… that's probably not such a great idea," Leaf realized. He'd probably get soaked after trying to swim with such a small Pokémon. And she was certain that that lake water was definitely not the warmest water in the world…

"I guess there's enough room for all of us to fit on Vegeta…" she continued, "But Knuckles, I think you're going to have to stay in your Pokéball for a while…" she recalled the Lucario and then got on her Blastoise.

Vegeta grunted from all the extra weight when Riley and Toby climbed onto him as well. "Sorry, Vegeta; it won't be for too long… right?" Leaf pointed out, trying to be optimistic.

oOoOoOo

"This island cave is huge!" Toby cried out, the second they stepped inside the cavern.

"It certainly didn't look this large judging from the outside," Riley pointed out, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"No doubt," Leaf agreed. She gazed around the cavern carefully, wondering when Uxie would appear. This was definitely his home. It was just like the other caverns she had come across. The only difference was that there was a new symbol in the center of the room, a symbol created from the puddle of clear water on the ground.

"I don't get it…" Leaf said quietly, after several minutes had passed in silence, "Where's Uxie? ...Can you sense him anywhere, Knuckles?"

Knuckles shook his head. This was strange. Why wasn't Uxie here?

"Odd…" Riley looked thoughtful, "Where could Uxie have gone?"

"Apparently…" Leaf looked annoyed, "Uxie is not here. So what am I supposed to do now?"

"Toby not know much…" Toby stomped his foot in the puddle of water to create a little splash. He was obviously bored now. "If Knuckles say no Pokémon is here, then Toby think no Pokémon is here…"

"Let's get out of here," Leaf headed for the exit, "Maybe we can catch up with Barry and see if he knows anything about this."

"Good thinking. We'd better hurry," Riley agreed.

When Leaf and the others rode back on Vegeta, Barry was standing near the edge of the lake waiting for them. He had a proud sort of smirk on his face which made Leaf more than suspicious.

"Barry! What the heck are you still doing here?" Leaf bounded off her Pokémon the moment he touched dry land, and she did not look happy. Knuckles popped out his Pokéball seconds later. He stood at her side, mirroring her less than friendly demeanor.

"Hey, no need to be hasty now!" Barry shook his finger as if he were a super-cool hedgehog.

"I'm _not_ kidding around here, Barry!" Leaf seized his collar and shook him, "Tell me what happened to Uxie! Now!"

"Take it easy, Leaf…!" Riley exclaimed, trying to make peace.

"Hahaha! Leaf is strong!" Toby laughed.

"Okay, okay! Fine!" Barry squirmed out of her grasp, "I'll tell you what happened to Uxie if you PROMISE not to have that Lucario attack me when I do!"

"Fine, I promise," Leaf said quickly as she impatiently tapped her foot, "Now tell me already!"

"_I_captured Uxie!" he proclaimed proudly.

No one said anything for several seconds. Barry just stood there, frozen in his triumphant pose, waiting expectantly for them to be extremely impressed.

"…I don't believe you," Leaf said flatly.

"WHAAAT? ARE YOU _TRYING_ TO SAY I _CAN'T_ CAPTURE UXIE?" Barry shrieked and flailed around like the crazy guy that he is.

"…Well, yes," Leaf didn't even have to think about it.

"I'M _FINING_ YOU FOR THAT!" he shouted.

"Enough fooling around," she said crossly, "Just tell me what _really_ happened."

"Okay…Fine!" Barry looked extremely disappointed that he couldn't trick them. He crossed his arms and stubbornly looked away from them. "The truth is… I really don't know what happened to Uxie. When I went there, I didn't find anything… just a stupid puddle of water on the floor!"

"It's not _fair_ though!_ I_ got there first, so_ I_ should have caught Uxie!" he continued in a really whiny tone.

"Did you see anyone come this way? Anything at all?" Riley questioned.

"Nope…" Barry replied with a sad sigh.

"Great! I bet Team Galactic already beat us here and somehow nabbed Uxie!" Leaf groaned.

"I don't understand though…" Riley looked thoughtful, "Wouldn't someone have noticed? Why wasn't it on the news or anything? It's all so quiet and covered up… definitely not true to Team Galactic's style…"

"Yeah, you're right… It does seem a little weird…" Leaf said thoughtfully, "Remember when they tried to nab Azelf? They pretty much blew up the lake! But this place… there's not even a single trace of evidence left behind…"

"Maybe it was Hunter J?" Riley wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Leaf frowned.

"Pff! Who ARE you guys trying to be anyway? A team of private investigators?" Barry asked sarcastically.

"Well, yes," Riley nodded.

Everyone stopped and stared at him.

"…What?" he looked uncomfortable.

"…I guess no one's really used to you cracking a joke," Leaf finally spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

Riley just shrugged and chuckled quietly.

"_ALL_ of you people are REALLY weird!" Barry screamed.

"Yeah… coming from you, the guy who shouts and flails around every three seconds," Leaf rolled her eyes. "And really, is shouting like that even necessary? We can all hear you, you know…"

"I'm FINING you for saying that!" Barry shrieked.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised…" Leaf grimaced and recalled Vegeta.

"Hurry! All must _run_ before Barry scream more things!" Toby cried while covering his ears, and he chose this time to sprint back to the edge of the mountain.

"That's not a bad idea," Leaf giggled and ran off after him with Riley and Knuckles on her heels.

"GET BACK HERE!" Barry shrieked, flailing his arms around everywhere. "I'm FINING ALL of you for this!"

After they had managed to escape Barry, the Trainers made their way back down the mountain ledge with the help of their Lucario, and, from there, headed off for Snowpoint City. It was all they could do now, what with Uxie's strange disappearance. They had made it this far, so they figured they might as well head to the city to challenge the Gym…

"I'm so glad it's not snowing like crazy right now, like it was yesterday," Leaf had been saying. It was a pretty long walk, so the three Pokémon Trainers were chattering as usual. However, Leaf stopped suddenly when she heard a strange noise, "Wait a second; did anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Toby looked around wildly while Riley did the same.

"Aboma!"

"Did somebody say Obama?" Leaf looked confused.

"Look up there!" Riley cried. Sure enough, not too far above them, several giant, white furred Pokémon stood atop the mountain ledges. They were looking down at them all with somewhat curious looks on their faces. Well, either they were curious, or they were just hungry.

"What kind of Pokémon is that…!" Leaf looked horrified. These Pokémon looked exactly like the Yeti or the Abominable Snowman or something like that. And there were a _bunch_ of them!

"Big Snow Monsters!" Toby grinned widely and held out his arms grandly, as if to welcome them, "Toby want to catch one!"

"I don't know, Toby… They look kind of… mean…" Leaf backed away slowly. Knuckles immediately started to cry out frantically to her, but it was too late.

"Uh…" Leaf froze when she bumped into squishy, blubbery fat and accidently stepped on an equally flabby foot. "Uh-oh…" she gulped as she slowly turned around.

"ABOMA!" one of the 'snow monsters' was directly behind her. She mustn't have noticed him earlier since he blended so well into the wintry landscape…

Leaf screamed. The Abomasnow roared and swatted at Leaf angrily for making such a loud noise. Geez! Didn't humans these days know how to shut up?

Luckily for Leaf, Knuckles managed to pull her out of the way before Abomasnow could deal any damage. While she struggled to maintain her balance atop the slippery ice, Knuckles swiped at the Abomasnow with his Metal Claw attack, just missing the beast's furry moustache.

Once the other Abomasnow witnessed this attack on one of their brethren, they all became rather angry. "ABOMASNOW!" they shouted together, not unlike an army shouting out a war cry while running to the front lines.

"This is _not_ good!" Riley cried and grabbed his friend's arms, "We _have_ to get out of here!"

"Toby not want to be friends with snow monsters anymore…!" Toby cried as he started to run away along with the others. "Snow monsters is ugly, evil, and mean!"

"Wouldn't it be great if Moltres saved us right about now…?" Leaf quickly glanced over her shoulder to see how Knuckles was holding up. He was right on their heels, apparently not too keen on holding a battle with that many wild opponents.

"Town is ahead!" Toby cried with a bit of relief in his voice. Surely the Abomasnow wouldn't follow them into the city… right?

Unfortunately, Toby became a little too excited, and he lost his balance… something that was pretty much bound to happen somewhere along this wild ride, considering that the four of them were running at top speed on ice…

"Aaaah! Toby is sliding agaaain!" he flailed, desperately trying not to fall on the ice.

"Look out!" Leaf cried, but it was too late. Toby was slipping and sliding out of control, and he was heading right into the path of both Riley and Leaf. Neither of the two could stop quickly enough to get out of his way. So, soon enough, the three of them collided and fell in a heap on the ice. Knuckles desperately dug his feet against the ice and flailed his arms, trying his hardest not to crash into the heap of humans on the ground before him, but… it didn't work.

So Knuckles tripped on the heap of Trainers that were busy trying to untangle themselves and get back on their feet. And of course, having a Lucario fall on top of them all certainly impeded everyone's progress in that regard...

"Is this how you show up every time you visit a new city?" an unfamiliar voice giggled.

"No, but this-things are different when you're being chased by a pack of peeved-off snow monsters!" Leaf managed to retort once she was reasonably freed from the tangled mess of her friends.

"Snow monsters? You wouldn't happen to be talking about Abomasnow, now would you?" the girl giggled again, "You must be mistaken though! Abomasnow are too kind and sweet to do anything so awful like that! You must be imagining things, you silly!"

"Sorry to burst your happy little bubble, but that's exactly what happened," Leaf groaned as she struggled to her feet. Getting up while on ice was turning out to be harder than it looked, and it looked hard.

"Really? Well, I don't see any Abomasnow around…" the girl frowned as she scanned the area with a hand over her eyes to shield against the blinding effects of the snow.

"They must have given up the chase," Riley reasoned as he helped Leaf to her feet with great difficulty.

"Oh, yeah; I guess that would make sense… I mean they probably would be pretty slow thanks to all that flab and disgusting blubber," Leaf recalled. Once she was on her feet, she held out a hand to help Knuckles out, since he was still struggling to stand.

"Toby is me!" Toby leapt up and grinned at this new girl, "What name do cute girl have?"

"Oh, me? I'm Candice!" the girl giggled again, "I like your accent, Toby!"

"He doesn't have an acc-! Wait… did you say your name is Candice? Are you the Gym Leader?" Leaf asked, suddenly remembering where she had heard the name 'Candice' before.

"That's right," she winked, "Are you here looking for a battle?"

"You bet!"

"Do you have a name… or should I just call you 'challenger'?" she asked playfully.

"Oh, right; sorry!" Leaf reached out to shake her hand, "I'm Leaf."

"Cool." Candice said breezily and suddenly turned to Riley, "And what might your name be?" she asked him, her face only inches from his chest.

"R-riley… I'm Riley," he backed away a little out of embarrassment.

Candice giggled again. "That's such a cute name! So… is only Leaf planning to challenge me or do I have any other takers?"

"Actually," Riley spoke up, "I would like to challenge you as well."


	44. Chapter 44: Leaf v Candice

"Wow, Riley," Leaf was surprised, "And here, I thought you already had all the gym badges…"

"Nope," Riley looked at her, "I never really… got around to challenging this gym, and it happens to be the only Sinnoh badge I don't have. To be honest," he looked off somewhere into the distance, "I haven't been too interested in battling against Gym Leaders… I stopped trying to win badges when I was still quite young… But now that we're here, I want to battle like that again…" he smiled warmly, looking at Leaf once again. "After all, you never can be too old to battle the gyms, right?"

"Oh, you aren't old!" Candice shoved his arm playfully. "I've had challengers that are complete geezers; don't be ridiculous!"

"I guess you're right," Riley chuckled quietly.

"So then," the Gym Leader looked somewhat serious now, "who wants to go first? I'm afraid I can only take on one challenger a day, so someone's going to have to wait until tomorrow…"

"I can wait," Riley said politely, "Go ahead, Leaf."

Leaf opened her mouth to thank him, but…

"Oh wow! You're such a gentleman, Riley!" Candice gushed.

"Yeah… um… thank you, Riley…" Leaf tried to interject, but she wasn't quite sure if he heard her or not. She looked over at Toby to see what he thought of the situation, but to her surprise, he was too busy rolling his eyes to even notice her looking over at him.

"Okay! Are you ready, Leaf? Let's go to the Gym now!" Candice cried after she was finished acting like a total fangirl.

"Um… sure," Leaf smiled weakly.

oOoOoOo

Not too long afterward, Leaf stood before Candice on an icy battlefield.

"How do you like my custom battlefield, Leaf?" Candice grinned at her.

"Nice," Leaf nodded, "But it's not going to slow us down any, right Knuckles?" Knuckles nodded affirmatively as a smirk spread across his face. He was ready for this.

To start things off, Candice released her Sneasel.

"Okay; go ahead, Knuckles," Leaf nodded to him. Knuckles headed out onto the battlefield, eager to finally be taking on opponents for battle once again.

"Cool! Your Pokémon looks psyched! So go ahead! I'm ready for anything you have to dish out!" the Gym Leader grinned once again.

"You bet! Alright, Knuckles, start with Force Palm!"

Knuckles rushed for Sneasel, but the Pokémon deftly dodged the attack and slid away, skating along the battlefield like it was some kind of skating rink.

"Ha! It's going to take more than that to take out Sneasel!" Candice sang out, "Now, Sneasel! Use Icy Wind!"

Knuckles grimaced from the powerful attack. Obviously, he wasn't accustomed to dodging while on ice like Sneasel was.

"Use Force Palm again!" Leaf ordered. Sneasel couldn't run forever!

However, Knuckles needed to get in close in order to use this attack, and he was struggling to keep up with the skating Sneasel. If he moved too quickly, he would slip and fall!

"Looks like Lucario can't keep up!" Candice smirked, "So then, it's our turn, Sneasel! Use your Icy Wind attack again!"

"Use Me First!" Leaf cried. The two attacks hit each Pokémon, but they weren't all that effective on either one of them. This battle was probably going to last for quite some time...

oOoOoOo

Up in the stands, Toby was sitting beside Riley with a look of extreme confusion on his face, "Not understand… Why Knuckles fight Sneasel? Candice is good. Why fight?"

"Don't you remember, Toby?" Riley answered, "Most trainers train their Pokémon not only to catch more Pokémon but also to fight against other trainers to get even stronger. Candice is a Gym Leader. So that means Leaf's Pokémon will become much stronger after facing her…"

"Still, battle is dumb!" Toby retorted. He still didn't understand why Leaf and Candice had to fight each other. What if Knuckles or Sneasel got hurt? It seemed pointless to make them battle for no real reason other than to get stronger. Both Pokémon were _already_ strong!

"Hmm… So I take it you're more of a Pokémon collector than a Pokémon battler?"

"What Riley say?"

"Never mind…" Riley focused his attention back on the battle.

oOoOoOo

"Use Ice Beam!" Candice called out to her Pokémon. The direct hit took another blow on the already-weary Knuckles.

Leaf was beginning to consider recalling her Lucario, since she was certain he wasn't going to land an attack anytime soon. But then, Knuckles surprised her entirely by charging up an Aura Sphere and hurling it at Sneasel.

"What? Knuckles? You learned Aura Sphere? Since when?" Leaf balked. But hey, now that he knew that move… Sneasel wouldn't be able to run away anymore!

"Get up Sneasel!" Candice cried, "Use your Ice Beam attack again!"

Knuckles was hit directly, but, being a Steel type, it still wasn't that effective on him.

"Okay! Now use Aura Sphere again!" Leaf beamed. There was no way Sneasel could avoid this super effective attack!

And he didn't. Sneasel fainted.

"Aw, yeah, Knuckles! That was great!"

"Let's go Froslass!" Candice cried and let out her next Pokémon, a feminine-looking snow monster.

Leaf briefly considered taking out her Pokédex to check up on this Pokémon but ultimately decided against it. The only upside of her Pokédex being broken for so long was that she now felt confident enough to not need it very much anymore. And of course, as it was, it was already pretty obvious that the Pokémon was an Ice type.

In the meantime, Candice was forming up a good strategy, "Use Captivate!"

Froslass winked at Knuckles cutely, and the Lucario just stared at her, clearly not accustomed to moves of this nature.

"C'mon back, Knux," Leaf pulled out another Pokéball. The last thing she needed was for her Lucario to fall in love with one of Candice's freaky Pokémon…

"Go Blaze!" Leaf let out her Flareon as soon as Knuckles returned to her side.

"Heh, I knew it was only a matter of time before you pulled out a fire type!" Candice said with a slight sneer, despite that bubbly tone she always had.

Leaf frowned slightly. She didn't really want to look like a wimp or anything, but she really had no choice. Her only other female Pokémon was Swablu and pitting her against an ice type wouldn't really make much sense.

"Okay, Froslass, use your Ominous Wind attack!" Candice commanded.

"Use Fire Blast!" Leaf ordered. Both Pokémon were hit head-on by the two attacks. To Candice's dismay, Floslass' ear became badly burned by the super-effective move. Well, actually, Leaf wasn't certain whether the Froslass was actually burned on the ear or on the arm… it was hard to tell with that Pokémon… but that was beside the point.

"You can still win! Use Ice Shard!" Candice cried out to her Pokémon.

Froslass winced from the painful burn, but she still carried out the designated attack. The move was powerful, but it didn't have much effect on the fiery Blaze.

"Finish with Flamethrower!" Leaf cried. That last attack was enough to defeat Froslass, and the ice type fainted.

"Just you wait! I always save my toughest Pokémon for last you know!" Candice told Leaf as she held out her new Pokéball proudly, "Go! Abomasnow!"

"Aw, man; are you kidding me?" Leaf groaned as she watched the giant yeti appear before Blaze for battle. She definitely considered those Pokémon to be evil monsters by now…

"Heheheh, Aboma…" Abomasnow chuckled ominously. Yeah, he wasn't creepy at all… Good thing he wasn't the president of the country.

"Okay, Blaze, use your Will-o-Wisp!" Leaf called out. She figured it'd be best to cripple him now before the battle became too involved.

Abomasnow barely flinched as a seemingly painful burn was inflicted on him. Thick fat…? No, Abomasnow's ability conjured up a hailstorm instead. Just great.

Leaf winced at the hail flecking against her face. Blaze suffered a little bit of damage, and Abomasnow just laughed his creepy Abomasnow laugh.

Candice was unfazed as well. Apparently, she was used to this from training with Abomasnow for so long, "Abomasnow! Use Wood Hammer!"

Abomasnow smashed one of his massive arms into Blaze. Leaf winced; that had to hurt. But, Blaze, being the determined little Pokémon she is, shook it off.

"Hang in there, Blaze! Use Fire Blast!" Leaf cried.

Abomasnow grunted from the powerful blow; his bulk prevented him from dodging effectively. The two Pokémon also suffered from indirect attacks; with Blaze it was the hail, and with Abomasnow, it was his burn.

"Quick, Abomasnow! Use Ingrain!" Candice cried. Somehow, it was quite amusing to watch such a giant and ferocious snow creature plant his roots into the ground.

"Use Fire Blast again!" Leaf wanted to end this battle once and for all. And she got her wish; Abomasnow fainted from that last attack.

"You were amazing, Blaze," Leaf grinned at her Pokémon.

"Well, whaddaya know? You actually beat me…" Candice mused with a hint of surprise in her voice after she recalled her prized Abomasnow.

oOoOoOo

Hunter J strode onto the bridge of her ship with a look of intense disgust on her face. She was rather displeased with the slow speed of the ship's repairs. Things had been less than desirable as of late.

"Sir! I'm happy to report that the ship is now back in perfect running order!" one of her men saluted to her while she sat down in her captain's chair.

"Finally…" J growled. "Well! What you are you just standing there for?" she snarled immediately afterward, "Make yourself useful!"

"Yes. Sir!" her minion gulped and promptly scuttled away.

"I want Mesprit located in the next three hours! MOVE!" she barked. Her men frantically scrambled to carry out her orders, while J sat still and scowled. She wasn't used to not having her own way, and she certainly wasn't used to losing. That Pokémon Researcher was going to pay… dearly.

"Sir! The lieutenant would like to speak with you," another of her underlings alerted her suddenly.

"Very well, put him through," J said lazily. He better have good news.

"Sir! I took a small squad and searched the area you designated!" her lieutenant informed her as soon as his face appeared onscreen.

"And?" J asked testily.

"Uh, we didn't find anything… There wasn't a trace of the researcher girl or her Lucario. She must have survived and somehow made her way out of the forest…"

"Shut up! I don't even want to hear what you have to say!" Hunter J snarled, indignant. "Why have you even bothered me with this extremely _useless _report?"

"Just following orders… sir," the lieutenant pointed out.

"Well, if you had checked the area sooner, she might not have gotten away!"

"I apologize…sir," the lieutenant looked sheepish, "I-"

"No! You nothing! I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" J said savagely, "If you want to keep your job, you'll find Mesprit and have it ready for me within three hours!"

"Mesprit?" the lieutenant repeated weakly, "I thought you placed me in charge of Azelf… Perhaps if I searched an even wider range, I might be able to find the-"

"Forget the girl! I'll deal with her myself! That's the only way I can get anything accomplished around here! Now bring me Mesprit before I decide to give _you_ a taste of what I have in store for her!"

"Yes… sir," the lieutenant gulped.

J severed their communication by smashing her clenched fist against the panel on her chair. This was beginning to infuriate her. But she knew that, in the end, it would be her who would come out on top… She always did… Always…

oOoOoOo

"So… you really did wind up learning Aura Sphere before me…" Leaf was saying to Knuckles while she, Riley, Toby, and her Pokémon stood outside of the Snowpoint City Gym.

Knuckles smirked slightly and nodded. Of course he did!

"Yeah, I concede defeat," Leaf sighed as she put an arm around her Lucario's shoulders, "But since you totally _cheated_, I decided to withhold your prize…"

Knuckles just give her a look.

"Ha, I'm only kidding." Leaf grinned as she hugged Knuckles, "You really were great, and I'm proud of you, of course."

"You should be," Riley agreed, "Your Pokémon were great out there!"

"Thanks," Leaf beamed, "And hey, I can't wait to see how well you do tomorrow!"

"So confused!" Toby held up his hands in defeat. What was so great about fighting Candice's Pokémon on some weird ice rink with tons of ultra-bright lights?

"Okay, Leaf! I have your badge!" Candice suddenly appeared and held out her badge case.

"Thank you!" Leaf beamed and took it.

"Oooh! Leaf get a Shiny!" Toby looked delighted.

"Not exactly, Toby…" she smiled as she shook her head.

"You sure do say a lot of goofy things, huh, Toby?" Candice giggled.

"Yes…" Toby grinned, happy that Candice's full attention was finally on him, "Toby is very cute!"

Candice just giggled, "Wow, you guys are so funny! I totally want to hang out with you more! What do you say I show you guys around the city? We can have tons of fun together!"

"Sure, why not?" Leaf shrugged. Candice seemed nice, and there wasn't anything else they really needed to do right now anyway.

"Well, let's go to the Pokémon Center first, so Leaf and I can heal up our Pokémon real quick!" Candice suggested with a wink.

"Of course." Riley agreed.

Surprisingly enough, despite the fact that Snowpoint City was really far up north and isolated, there was actually a lot of sophisticated technology at this Pokémon Center. And as a result, Leaf and Candice's Pokémon were healed rather faster than expected.

"Oh, Leaf! I almost forgot! I really need to talk to you really fast about something!" Candice suddenly piped up.

"Um, sure?" Leaf replied hesitantly; she couldn't help but wonder what this was all about.

"And this is a 'girls only' chat, so don't even think about sneaking a listen!" Candice childishly wagged her index finger at Riley and Toby. And with that, she promptly took Leaf's hand and led her to the other side of the lobby where no one else could hear them.

"Hey! I said this is a 'girls only' chat!" Candice placed her hands on her hips and frowned at Knuckles. Naturally, he had followed Leaf there.

"Ugh, whatever, Candice! Knuckles is my Pokémon! He's not going to tell anyone!" Leaf sighed in exasperation.

"I'm not so sure about that…" Candice stared the Lucario down, bending so that she was on direct eye level with the Pokémon. She glared at him suspiciously, as if she were gauging where his true loyalties lie.

Knuckles just stared back at her with a bored look on his face. Man… she was even stupid stupider than he thought...

"Candice! Seriously!" Leaf groaned, "I promise that Knuckles won't tell anybody whatever it is that you have to say… so just tell me already!"

"Okay, fine! If you say so…" she finally agreed, "Okay… I called you over because I was wondering…

"Is Riley your boyfriend?" she asked suddenly.

Leaf was momentarily stunned by such an abrupt question, "…Uh, n-no. No, of course not!"

"Oh, good…" she breathed a sigh of relief, "I was only asking because… well… I really like him, and I was afraid that he was already your boyfriend, so…

"But anyway, I'm so glad! Now_ I _can go out with him!" she beamed.

"Uh… whaaat?" Leaf's jaw dropped. Was she seriously even hearing this right now?


	45. Chapter 45: Tough Love

"B-but… you… you… he…!" Leaf stammered, hardly even able to think of anything to say.

"Oh, I'm just so happy!" Candice gushed, completely ignoring Leaf, "I thought he was so dreamy the second I laid eyes on him, and I knew… I just knew we were totally meant for each other!"

Leaf just gaped slightly. A twisted knot was forming in her stomach, and she felt a peculiar feeling, one that reminded her of someone who had left something really important on an airplane that was already hundreds of miles away.

"I feel like… I just made a huge mistake…" she finally choked out.

Knuckles just raised an eyebrow at her, a bit confused by... well, pretty much everything going on here. It was all a bunch of nonsense, really. No wonder Candice had wanted to keep it a secret from him and the others.

"Sorry about that, you guys! I totally just had to clear something up with Leaf really quick!" Candice beamed at Riley and Toby as she made her way over to them.

"No problem," Riley nodded politely. Although, he couldn't help but wonder why Leaf looked like Candice had just dropped a Voltorb in front of her. Just what had they been talking about?

"Aww, I just _can't_ stop admiring how much of a gentleman you are!" Candice giggled and grabbed Riley's arm, "Hey… I'm kinda hungry… What do you say we go grab some lunch? I know a great place!"

"'Hot chocolate' is there?" Toby asked, his eyes shining with hope.

"Of course!" Candice smiled, "That's Snowpoint City's specialty! Why _wouldn't_ they have some?"

"A specialty in… hot chocolate…?" Riley repeated, a bit dumbfounded.

"Yes! Want to go there now!" Toby grinned happily. He stopped short when Leaf finally walked over to them with a worried look on her face, "Leaf not like hot chocolate?"

"Yeah… of course I do…" Leaf grinned feebly.

"Good, then let's go!" Candice tugged excitedly on Riley's arm.

"Okay sure…" Riley couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable with her hanging onto him like that.

oOoOoOo

Mesprit flew down to a little nook she found in a dead tree trunk and crawled inside. She was deathly tired; she had been flying all over the forest for days now, trying to find the best place to hide. She could sense enemies seemingly everywhere, all around her, and it had made her incredibly scared, anxious, and uneasy. Her boundless energy had made it easy to flee; however, now her energy felt like it had been sapped dry. She was tired, and her arm hurt so very much… Thanks to all of that, she was now no longer in the mood to feel particularly picky about choosing a place to hide. This would do…

Mesprit tucked her bleeding arm closer to her side. It still hadn't properly healed from that attack from Crobat… and her skittish flight all across the forest over the past few days did nothing to help it. She squeaked in surprise when she heard a soft rustling.

"Don't be afraid… I'm only here to help you, I swear it…" a voice said softly.

"Who's there?" Mesprit demanded to know. She lacked the focus right now to hone her fickle senses.

"It's only me… a mere Ditto…" and sure enough, a Ditto slid into view.

"If you want to talk, then hurry up and come inside before someone sees you!" Mesprit whispered urgently.

The Ditto silently obeyed. He stared at the Legendary Pokémon, his eyes wide with awe.

"What is a Ditto such as yourself doing here in the middle of this forest?" Mesprit asked. Even in her weakened state, her curiosity still knew no bounds. Ditto were rare, especially around here.

"I ran away from my master…" the Ditto responded.

"Why would a Pokémon decide to do such a thing?" she frowned. It was inherent in every Pokémon's nature to stay loyal to their human trainers… why would Ditto rebel so openly without any shame? Was he truly only an innocent and harmless little Ditto?

"She commanded me to attack a weakened baby Pokémon… I couldn't bring myself to do it… there were other things too… I eventually refused to stand by her side any longer… My trainer was truly cruel… and I refuse to stoop down to her level…"

"Sounds like you've got your head on straight, at least." she acknowledged. She knew the Ditto wasn't lying to her. Even in her weakened state, she could sense some powerful emotions radiating from within him. No amount of feebleness on her part could tarnish that ability. "That's a breath of fresh air… let me tell you…"

"Um, thank you…" Ditto looked uncomfortable, "but enough about me, I came here to see why you… the Legendary Lake Being of Emotion… are here."

"I came here to hide," Mesprit explained. "There are some evil humans after me… and I only just managed to escape."

"Is that why you are injured…?" the Ditto gestured towards her arm with a sympathetic look.

"Well, yeah, that would do it."

"Please! Take this Sitrus Berry!" he offered.

"No, forget it. I'll be fine after some rest."

"But you must!" Ditto insisted, "You are injured! It would be an honor for me to provide even the tiniest bit of assistance to a being as great and wonderful as yourself!"

"Oh, come on. Give me a break."

"I mean it! You blessed this land with the beauty of emotions! If it weren't for you, I would not be the Pokémon I am today!"

"Fine…" she finally agreed and took the refreshing berry. As she munched on it, she felt a small surge of vitality wash over her, "Wow… I forgot how much these berries help. Thanks, Ditto."

"See? You needed it more than I did," he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess I've gotten a bit soft after all that time I've been asleep…" Mesprit smiled slightly before she began to feel her eyelids drooping.

"If there are humans after you… then there must be humans after Azelf and Uxie as well…" the Ditto mused.

"You don't know how right you are…" she sighed, "Uxie was already taken. I could feel it…"

"That's terrible," he looked downcast, "But… what about Azelf? Is he alright?"

"I think so… for now anyway. Azelf has a trainer now. I met her… She seems to be pure of heart. I believe she will do everything in her power to protect my brother… But I just hope that it's enough…"

"How long do you think she can hold the evil ones off? Does she really have a chance?"

"I don't know for certain… But her emotions are strong, and so is her will… She even had the gall to chase _me_ around for a while…! For that reason alone, I decided to lead her to the Griseous Orb… If all else fails… perhaps she can summon Giratina to help us…" Mesprit now had to struggle to keep her weary eyes open. "I'm sure he'll be able to sort out this mess, if it all becomes too far out of hand... Let's just hope he'll be willing to help out…"

"But Giratina…" Ditto looked worried. "Wasn't he banished for his evil deeds? Is he really the type of Pokémon we can rely on, especially at a time like this?"

Mesprit shrugged. "It's a long shot, I know, but I don't really know what else to do… It's just… so tiring, you know…?"

"You should rest now. I'll keep an eye out for those evil ones while you sleep; don't worry." Ditto assured her.

"You're too kind…" Mesprit managed to say before drifting off into a deep slumber.

oOoOoOo

Leaf was picking at her food as she sat in her seat thinking pensively. Was she really feeling jealous, or…? No! It was just… Riley deserved better than Candice. She was too annoying, too much like a crazed fangirl. There was no way Riley would ever like her… right? Not that she actually cared or anything…

Candice, meanwhile, was talking her head off. Her entire conversion was based off of and directed at Riley, who was only half listening, but still doing his best to be polite. Every once in a while, his gaze would rest on Leaf as he pondered why she wasn't her usual cheery self. Was she worried about Azelf again, or…? Was there something else? Should he ask her about it now or try to bring it up later?

Toby was on the edge of his seat, trying his best to receive and maintain Candice's attention as he randomly interjected clever things to say, in an effort to break his way into the conversation. Why wouldn't Candice pay any attention to _him _for once?

Knuckles yawned after he took in his observations of the peculiar Trainers around him. He had already finished eating, and well, he could think of no better way to kill some time. He couldn't help but think that these four were all pretty odd… but he did feel sorry for Leaf, of course. She was the only reasonable person here; and this judgment on his part was _certainly _notbiased in any fashion at all. He was a sensible and entirely objective Lucario after all.

But then Knuckles exhaled loudly. Of course, Leaf wouldn't even be having any problems anymore if she just hurried up and punched Candice already. There was no point in just fretting all day long over it.

"What's up, Knuckles?" Leaf looked over at her Pokémon curiously after she noticed his loud sigh. He merely groaned in response. She raised an eyebrow, uncertain as to what he was trying to say.

Knuckles seized her fork and smashed it into Leaf's salad until he had a large amount of material stuck to it. Then he held it out right next to her mouth and grunted, as if to tell her to just hurry up and eat already.

"Okay…! I get it! And yeah, I'll admit it; you have a point." Leaf chuckled a little as she backed away from the fork and then took it back.

"…Is your Lucario reminding you how to use a fork?" Candice giggled.

"No, Leaf know how to use fork!" Toby nodded, "Leaf use fork many times. See it every day!"

"Yeah, it's my specialty," Leaf rolled her eyes and managed to take a small bite of the giant bit of salad on her fork.

"How did you even catch a Lucario anyway, Leaf? I hear they're really rare, so I bet it wasn't easy…" Candice mused.

"Actually, I raised him up from a little baby." she informed the Gym Leader after she had swallowed her food. "Riley's the one who gave me his egg."

"Really! Wow!" Candice looked over at Riley with surprise, "So then you have a Lucario too?"

"That's right." he nodded.

"So where'd you catch your Lucario?"

"I didn't…" Riley looked slightly embarrassed. "He was my parents' Pokémon. They gave him to me before I left to become a Trainer."

"Wow, that's neat." Candice smiled. "So hey! Have you guys ever battled your Lucario against each other before?"

"Actually, no, we never have." Leaf realized. She'd never even considered it before, but now that she mentioned it, it sounded pretty interesting. "Hey, why don't we battle, Riley?"

"Sure, we definitely should sometime."

"Hey? Why don't you right now?" Candice asked, laughing.

"Where? Out in the street?" Riley looked more than a little taken back.

"Sure, nobody will mind!" she shrugged it off.

Knuckles grinned. Finally! What a perfect way to break away from boredom! Now he could really show what he was made of!

"You have to promise to go a little easier on my Lucario though." Leaf spoke up. "Knuckles is still pretty inexperienced. He certainly hasn't been battling anywhere near as long as Rukario has."

At this, Knuckles' fur bristled. What the heck? Did she_ really _think he was a complete and total pushover!

"Ooh! Sounds like you're scared!" Candice smirked. "Your little _baby _can't handle a battle?"

Knuckles began to snarl in indignation. He _wasn't _a baby, for crying out loud! He could handle _anything_ thrown his way! He would show them!

"Don't worry, Leaf. I understand." Riley interrupted. "It'll only be a practice battle, so you won't have to worry about Knuckles getting hurt."

Knuckles grabbed his head and grit his teeth. Why were they all patronizing him! He could _obviously_ take care of himself!

"Thanks, Riley." Leaf said gratefully and hurriedly finished up the last of that salad so that they could get to it.

oOoOoOo

Leaf stood before Riley on the streets of Snowpoint City (which were, not surprisingly, nearly deserted since it was so cold) ready for battle.

"Riley will lose!" Toby said to Candice with a grin.

"No way! Riley is _totally_ going to win! He's got way more intensity than Leaf ever could!" Candice insisted.

"'Intensity' is what?" Toby blinked at her.

"Oh, you're such a silly guy, Toby!" she giggled.

"Yes!" he agreed. "Riley is silly guy! So Leaf will win!"

Once the intense staring contest was over with, Riley released his Pokémon. Rukario watched Knuckles carefully as he silently moved into position. Knuckles, for his part, merely smirked, eager to finally prove himself.

"Let's start with Aura Sphere!"

Leaf knew this attack would be effective against Rukario, thanks to his Steel typing. And since the move never misses, there was nowhere for him to hide!

"Rukario! Use-" Riley began, but...

Acting on his own, Rukario suddenly sent out a blazing, fiery kick aimed straight for Knuckles. Unfortunately for him, Knuckles' Aura Sphere was not fully charged at this point, and it was too late for him to attempt to dodge the unexpected attack. So, Knuckles was hit full on by the devastatingly powerful attack.

"Knuckles!" Leaf was completely taken aback. Why on earth would Rukario do that?

Rukario landed deftly and stood, looking down at his opponent, as if waiting to see if Knuckles could even get up after that powerful of an attack.

"Okay, that's enough!" Leaf said firmly as she went over to Knuckles' side. There wasn't much point in continuing the battle, as it was.

Knuckles was struggling to get up on his feet again. He hadn't fainted, but he certainly wasn't far from it.

"Geez, Riley!" Leaf suddenly exploded on him, "I thought you said you were going to go easy!"

"I-" Riley was at a loss for words, "I don't understand… Rukario has never done anything like this before… He's always waited until I called out an attack…"

Leaf looked up, somewhat apprehensively, at the usually candid Lucario. He was watching Knuckles carefully and paid her no attention at all. Maybe he was trying to put Knuckles in his place…? But man, that was pretty harsh, wasn't it?

"Here, Knuckles, eat this." she offered him an Oran berry. It would have to do for now.

"Man, that was a really boring battle…" Candice groaned, "Leaf's Pokémon just got completely _owned_ in, like, less than three seconds! No wonder she tried to have Riley go so easy on it… I never would've thought it'd be that much of a weakling, though."

"Weak enough to beat you!" Leaf fumed.

"What's with the sudden attitude?" Candice smirked. "Did I strike a nerve?"

"I didn't ask for any of this!" Leaf growled and pulled her Lucario to his feet, "I'm outta here! C'mon, Knuckles!"

"Leaf! Wait!" Riley called.

"Oh, forget her!" Candice waved her off. "She's just sore because she lost! So immature, really."

"Somehow… I don't think that's it…"

Leaf stormed off back to the Pokémon Center. It seemed her frustration with Candice had finally reached its boiling point. Knuckles just followed after her, feeling somewhat timid. He hadn't really seen Leaf become this angry before, and it was pretty puzzling to him. He had no idea what was going to happen next.

"…Can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked timidly shortly after Leaf had approached the counter. Leaf was too busy fuming to say anything while at the counter, so Joy had reluctantly decided that she would make the first word.

"Yeah. Can you heal my Lucario again?" Leaf managed to say without gritting her teeth.

"What? Already? You just came here a while ago, didn't you?"

"Yeah. But he's hurt again, so I need you to heal him again." Leaf explained impatiently, annoyed at having to point out the obvious.

"Alright, I'll do what I can to help, but I'm afraid it might take a little longer this time…since the Center is quite full right now, and-"

"Yeah, sure, whatever!" she snapped. "It really doesn't matter how long it takes! I'll be stuck here all day anyway!"

Immediately after speaking, she started to take off since she could already hear Riley entering the Center calling her name. She briskly strode down the hallway back to the dorms, determined not to run, yet determined to reach her destination before Riley could catch up to her. She only stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"_What _is it, Riley?" she whirled around to face him, "What do you even _want _from me, anyway? Can't you just leave me alone! I've had just about enough from you and from Candice! Just go away already!"

"Just hear me out for a second. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry that Rukario went and-"

"Yes, Riley. I know." Leaf sighed. "You don't need to apologize to me about any of that. It doesn't matter to me that I lost, and yeah, your Pokémon kind of acted like a jerk or whatever… But I just don't care anymore, okay? So, just go away and leave me alone already!"

"So then… you're angry at me for something else then, I take it. …I had a feeling it was something more than that."

"Just go… Just leave me alone, okay?" Leaf turned to the door and started to reach for the doorknob.

"Whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me about it. I promise to listen, no matter what it is." Riley said softly. He was still trying to be kind, even though she was being completely irrational… and it actually sounded like he was worried about her. But why would he bother? They hadn't been friends for that long, really. Right now, Leaf just wanted to feel as if she didn't know him. Maybe if they were already apart, it wouldn't hurt so much when they finally did have to part ways…

She looked up at his eyes as he patiently waited for a response from her. She really wanted to tell him everything that was on her mind… but she couldn't really do that now, could she? He couldn't… no, he just _wouldn't_ be able to understand! She herself could hardly even understand what _she _was thinking! How on earth could she explain something she hardly understood herself? And especially, to him, of all people?

Leaf closed her eyes and shook her head. She wouldn't, no, she couldn't tell him. It would be impossible. She looked away from her friend, and reached for the door again.

"Leaf…" Riley said softly and tried to grasp her hand.

She shook her hand around wildly so he couldn't hold it, and pulled open the door with her free hand. She stepped into the girls' dorm and shut the door swiftly before he could say another word.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Aw, poor Knuckles… Yeah, he got completely owned, but I really wanted to narrate my own first battle against Riley. I was all excited to use my Lucario against his, and… his completely owned mine! So then I guess it winds up being tough love for poor Knuckles; his father has just gained a new level of harshness in his parenting style, unfortunately. We'll see what happens later on…

Oh, and please vote on my new poll! I want to have Leaf withdraw a Pokémon soon, and I'm not sure which one she should pick to bring out. So, any preferences you guys might have I'll be glad to accept. Oh, and if you have want a Pokémon that's not on the list, I guess you could tell me in a review. I'm going to keep Leaf's arsenal of Pokémon deliberately ambiguous, so you readers can have some input. Thanks!

But don't even bother asking for Muk or Grimer though... I refuse to make Leaf use those ones. Seriously.


	46. Chapter 46: Two Mesprit?

Leaf sighed and leaned heavily against the closed door. She was feeling so torn and confused…

She knew Riley was still out there. After several long minutes, she finally heard his footsteps echo across the hallways as he walked away.

Finally moving from the door, Leaf dropped her bag onto the floor and collapsed onto the bed. She was losing it. Why was she getting so emotional over everything? What was bothering her so much?

She groaned at herself into her pillow. If only it was that easy. If only she didn't know…

She rolled onto her back and gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully. So what if she did like Riley? He wasn't a bad person… So far he had been a great friend to her, and she hoped he always would be. But didn't she feel the exact same way about…

Leaf grimaced and quickly turned onto her side, pulling her legs close to her stomach. No, she would never think of him again. He was a waste of her time and energy… and why would she even compare him to Riley?

Because she had fallen in love with him…

Leaf swallowed painfully as she felt a hitch in her throat. It was just too much to hold in any longer.

She had to talk to someone about this. She had to clear this up somehow. But not just anyone, however. Only someone who knew her well, nearly better than anyone else… The one who had been always been by her side, through thick and through thin, ever since she turned ten years old…

"Vegeta…" Leaf murmured once the Pokéball clicked open of its own accord.

oOoOoOo

Hunter J stood outside her ship waiting. One of her men had radioed several hours ago, telling her that he had some very important news. He hadn't elaborated, but it was better than hearing endless excuses… It better be.

Salamence purred affectionately near J's head. Clearly he wanted some attention.

"Not now, Salamence." J said shortly. What kind of idiot expresses affection for their Pokémon when other people were around that might notice?

"Sir! We brought you Mesprit!" the captain of the squadron announced happily after he and his men had hurried out of their truck and saluted the diabolical Hunter.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Bring it to me at once!" J huffed testily.

"Of course, sir…"

The captain stumbled slightly as he ran to the back of the truck to bring J her prize. And when he returned, he was holding a small capsule with Mesprit trapped inside.

J's eyes gleamed the moment she saw the captive Pokémon. She was beyond pleased. Though, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder how the squad had finally managed to pull this off…

"How did you find it?" she asked brusquely.

"It was actually fairly easy, sir!" the lieutenant beamed at her. "I had my Crobat use Dark Pulse a few times, and the rest of the men helped by having their Ariados use String Shot. It all worked out so easily!"

"Well, finally!" she exclaimed in annoyance, though her pleased smirk returned soon enough. "Good work, lieutenant. It looks like I don't have to get rid of you, after all."

"Uh… thanks?"

Just then, however, another Mesprit appeared on the scene, soaring down from the clouds. She paused above them all, just out of reach, and sadly glanced down at her identical twin.

"What _is _this?" Hunter J shrieked. "Why are there _TWO_ Mesprit?"

"…Uh…" the lieutenant and all of the other men just gaped, unable to think of how that could even be possible. Legendary Pokémon were supposed to be entirely unique…

"_Attack_, Salamence!" J shouted, "One of them is an imposter, and I want them both until I can figure out which one is real!"

Salamence dutifully took to the skies immediately. Mesprit quickly avoided the Hyper Beam sent straight for her by rapidly flying off to the right. From there, she simply sailed off as fast as she could, heading straight for the clouds for cover.

"Chase it, Salamence!" Hunter J commanded, "And what are you _idiots_ just standing around for? _Go_ after it!"

"Come out Crobat!" the lieutenant yelled out hastily while the others hurriedly released their Golbat. "Hurry! Follow that Mesprit! Chase it down!"

Not wasting a second, the Pokémon swiftly soared off after both Salamence and Mesprit.

"Hmph." Hunter J turned on her heels to head back to the ship. "We'll leave the Pokémon to handle this. Even if they fail, at least we now know that an imposter exists…"

J glared at the captive Mesprit as she walked past its capsule. "And I intend to find out which of youis the deceiver soon enough… Don't you_ dare_ believe_ you_ can play _me_ for a fool…!"

"Lieutenant!" she abruptly called out once she stepped foot onto the ship. "I expect _you_ to make a call to Cyrus. Tell him of our situation and request that he send over one of his best scientists. I _will_ know whether we truly have Mesprit within that capsule."

"Yes sir!" the man saluted.

oOoOoOo

"Why Leaf is mad?" Toby wondered aloud as he gazed out the window at the falling snow.

The three Pokémon Trainers had been sitting around in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, chatting quietly. They had managed to avoid all topics concerning Leaf until now.

"I'm not sure…" Riley carefully responded. "She wouldn't tell me."

"Going now to find out…" Toby started to get up.

"No, don't!" Riley held out his arm to stop him. "She made it clear that she wants to be left alone."

"Not like this stuff…" Toby sat back down with his back slumped slightly. "Hate not knowing why Leaf is different now."

"Oh, why do you two care so much?" Candice groaned. "She's just being a drama queen. She needs to get over herself!"

"Hate it… Even Aura show nothing…" Toby shook his head grimly.

"You've tried to sense her Aura?" Riley looked alarmed.

"Yeah… can sense some things, but no matter. Leaf still make no sense ever…"

"I think she's quite confused at the moment. That's about all I can read from her right now…"

Riley then paused, trying to take in her feelings once more. However, a bit of movement near the hospital wing interrupted his concentration. He looked up, surprised at seeing Leaf's Lucario carefully and quietly making an attempt to sneak away. After slipping past the counter, the Pokémon cautiously ducked beneath it, slowly crawling towards the dormitories.

"Is that…" Candice's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Leaf's Lucario? What is it… _doing_?"

Toby immediately perked up, laughing. "Knuckles hunt for tasty food!"

"No…" Riley spoke up, watching the Lucario carefully. "I think he's making his way back to Leaf."

oOoOoOo

Vegeta leaned his head on the mattress, looking up at his Trainer with wide eyes.

"Oh, Vegeta…" In spite of everything, Leaf sat up and smiled softly, affectionately stroking the Blastoise's head with her hand.

Vegeta hummed deeply, still not taking his eyes off her. What was going on?

"Well…" Leaf sighed. "…it's just… Riley."

The Blastoise quirked a brow. Just Riley? What was that supposed to mean?

"Well… I'm just confused. Riley is… well, I'm afraid I might…"

Leaf bit her lip. Then she just collapsed back against her bed with a groan. Why did it have to be so hard? If she couldn't even admit this to Vegeta, she was definitely hopeless. For crying out loud, she'd been able to tell him about anything. Her hopes, her dreams, her disappointments… her shortcomings… her failures…

Why was this so different?

A clawed hand rested on her arm.

Slightly stunned, Leaf looked over to find her Blastoise gazing at her with a knowing expression. So she was afraid of falling for Riley…

"You've hit the nail on the head…" Leaf admitted, smiling weakly in defeat. "And things have gotten even worse… seeing as Candice has a rather obvious crush on him as well."

Vegeta's face scrunched up in confusion. While it wasn't great that the two had both developed feelings for the same person, what was so bad about her liking Riley in the first place?

"I never said it was _bad _for me to like Riley…" she replied, avoiding the turtle's gaze.

Vegeta shook his head, countering her claims with her own words. He pointed out that she had said: 'things have gotten _even worse_' just a few moments ago.

Leaf sighed, covering her face with her hands. "Okay. You remember how everything went when I was… with… _that _guy… right? At first everything was absolutely wonderful, but then… well… everything wasn't so great anymore after… Well, you know… I mean… the point is… I guess I just don't want…" she sighed heavily once again.

Vegeta nodded. So she was afraid of having to go through all that heartbreak all over again?

"I _wasn't _heartbroken!" Leaf snapped, sitting bolt upright. Then she sighed once more, her posture slumping. "Okay… so maybe I was…"

She turned to her Pokémon, her expression rather miserable. "I don't know how I can feel certain that everything that happened to me before won't just happen again... Because I suppose it's just as easy for Riley to like someone else… just like it was for… _that _jerk, you know?"

Vegeta shrugged. There was no way of knowing. That was why falling in love was always risky. If love between two people was meant to happen, then it should be able to find a way to work out all on its own. If it wasn't meant to be, then it won't. There was no point in dwelling on it. It is a risk that everyone must take.

Leaf blinked, shocked at the immediacy and accuracy of his answer. "Have you… fallen in love before, Vegeta?"

The Blastoise froze with a startled cry, his face entirely red. Of course he hadn't! How could she even think that? The giant turtle began to chuckle nervously, swinging his arms back and forth just for something to do.

"Oh. Okay…" Leaf continued to stare at his still-flushed face, too stunned to really think of anything else to say to him on the matter.

"Well!" she suddenly stood, throwing her arms around his neck. "One thing's for sure! You really _are_ the biggest sweetie ever! It was really nice of you to talk with me!"

Vegeta hummed happily, returning her embrace with his right arm while the left rested in place, seeing as it was too short to reach her.

"I'm really lucky to have you as my Pokémon…" she told him, contentedly resting her head against his underbelly. "Sometimes I don't know what I would do without you…"

Once the two finally moved apart, Leaf was surprised to see that Knuckles was sitting nearby, leaning against the wall. His eyes closed, he looked as if he might even be asleep over there. But it didn't take long for him to open an eye and give her a friendly grin.

"Hey Knuckles! Are you feeling better?" she asked.

He nodded, trying his best not to look too guilty.

Luckily for him, Leaf didn't notice any of that. "I'm glad." She smiled at him, her heart full.

She knew it now. There certainly was no point in feeling sorry for herself all day long. Certainly not when she was blessed with such great Pokémon.

Knuckles got up and walked over to her. The sudden movement caused Leaf to be reminded of his crushing loss from earlier that day. "Uh, Knuckles? Do you have any idea why Rukario suddenly went completely crazy on you? Did you do something to provoke him or anything like that?"

Knuckles shook his head. He then waved his arms about and started to explain what it was all about…

"So… you're saying that he was testing how strong you've become… by trying to see if you could withstand that attack without fainting…?" Leaf asked for clarification once he was finished explaining.

The Lucario nodded affirmatively.

"Well… I dunno… but… isn't that a little harsh, though? I mean, he's still your father after all… Wouldn't he feel a little badly about attacking you so violently like that?"

Knuckles shrugged. That was the way of the Lucario.

"The way of Lucario, huh? Well… I'm sure glad I'm not a Lucario… Because honestly, I'd probably die right away…" she admitted, looking off towards the ceiling as she started to imagine it. She quickly shook her head, clearing her mind of the horrible scenarios in mind.

"Well, anyway…! I think I've come up with the perfect plan to_ defeat_ Rukario once and for all!" she proudly declared, standing as tall as she possibly could. "All we have to do is work on your speed, and then we'll be able to beat Rukario by using his own power against him! Just you wait!"

Knuckles grinned, pumping his fist. He liked the sound of that idea!

Vegeta mirrored their enthusiasm, letting out a powerful battle cry of his own.

oOoOoOo

Leaf wandered into the lobby to find Riley sitting at a lone table reading the newspaper. She gulped, swallowing her nervousness before walking over to approach him. She'd have to do it eventually…

"Hey… Riley…" she mumbled, smiling weakly. "Uh… How's it… going?"

Riley looked up, slightly surprised to see her.

"Hey… uh…" she continued, finally letting her gaze rest on his eyes. "I think I owe you an apology… You know… for snapping at you like that…"

"You don't have to apologize." Riley shook his head. "I just hope you're… You're feeling alright?"

"Yeah!" she answered quickly and awkwardly. "I was just… you know… feeling sorry for myself. It's more embarrassing than anything, really. Just forget about the whole thing! I'm sorry I was acting so… weird! Yeah, it was just weird! So let's forget it!"

"Okay." Riley replied, rather awkwardly as well. "I was a bit worried about you though."

"Don't be!" Leaf laughed. The awkwardness was rapidly filling the room. "I was just being stupid is all! So… where's Toby and Candice?"

"They're outside… training together."

"Oh. That's cool. Yeah."

Knuckles slapped a paw to his forehead. Could this conversation get any more awkward?

Riley opened his mouth to say something, but just then, Toby's Staraptor flew into the room, screeching its head off. Seconds later, Abomasnow squeezed himself into the building, practically seething with rage.

"Abomasnow! No! _Stop_!" Candice cried, but the giant snow monster wasn't really listening... at all.

"Look out!" Riley cried. Luckily for them, he managed to put up an Aura shield around himself, Leaf, and Knuckles just moments before Abomasnow could have the chance to barrel them over, all in his manic attempts to chase Staraptor.

"No! Staraptor! Come back to Pokéball!" Toby cried as he raced inside the Center and recalled his shrieking and squawking bird.

Full of fury, Abomasnow whirled around to face Toby. He roared angrily and started to run straight for the hapless Trainer.

"Aah! Big trouble!" Toby exclaimed, wheeling around to run for his life.

"No! Abomasnow! You have to stop this!" Candice cried out dramatically and stood in the doorway to block her raging Pokémon's path.

Abomasnow faltered and then, to everyone's relief, halted. With Staraptor gone, his rage apparently wasn't as blinding as it was before.

"Bad Abomasnow! You should know better than that!" Candice started to scold her Pokémon like he was a little baby… a giant seven foot tall baby…

"What even happened anyway?" Leaf questioned, stepping out from her hiding place, which happened to be right behind Knuckles. "Why was Abomasnow after Staraptor?"

Toby returned with a rather sheepish look on his face. "Staraptor always is hungry…"

"I decided to throw a Poffin to my Abomasnow since he was doing such a good job, but Toby's naughty Staraptor swiped it right out of the air before he could even catch it!" Candice explained in annoyance.

"Sorry… Staraptor eat much food… Always hungry…"

"Wow… Abomasnow must be pretty… passionate… when it comes to food…" Leaf shrugged. She couldn't really imagine any of her Pokémon going nuts like that over one measly Poffin… and well, some of her Pokémon weren't exactly sane to begin with.

"Well, he's got a big tummy, so he gets pretty crazy when there's nothing to eat!" Candice answered, giggling.

Leaf just gaped slightly. If Abomasnow went that crazy over being denied one single Poffin, imagine what might happen if you forgot to feed him one day… He'd probably destroy an entire city…!

"Well, Candice…" Riley began, "You really should take care to keep a closer eye on your Abomasnow… Leaf, Knuckles, and I nearly got trampled…"

"I'm _really sorry_, Riley!" she exclaimed, pouting. "I didn't know that Abomasnow was going to freak out _that_ much! I certainly didn't want for _you_ to get hurt!"

"Wow… was she even listening? _We _almost got killed by her stupid Pokémon too…" Leaf remarked to Knuckles, rolling her eyes.

"Can you ever forgive me, Riley?" Candice asked him sweetly, poking him lightly in the chest. "Please?"

"Um… Yeah… Yes, of course. I'm fine. It's fine. Don't worry about it." Riley assured her, backing away awkwardly.

"Thank you Riley! You're just too sweet!" she exclaimed, abruptly catching him in a hug.

Both Leaf and Toby stiffened at the action, but neither said a word.

"Ah! Um!" Riley twisted rather uncomfortably within the embrace, barely managing to free his arms. "What do you say we—uh… go and… do something! Anything! Anywhere!"

"I second that!" Leaf exclaimed, suddenly shooting her fist up in the air.

"Three…?" Toby called out and held up his own fist, feeling rather confused but still wanting to join in.

"Three's a crowd!" Leaf cried over-enthusiastically, grabbing Knuckles' arm and leading him to the door. "And Knuckles makes four! That's even more! So hurry up!"

"What?" Candice finally pulled away from Riley, whirling around to face Leaf with her hands on her hips. "That doesn't even…! That doesn't make any sense at all!"

Leaf merely laughed. "And your point is?" She didn't wait for a reply, promptly ushering Knuckles out the door.

"Aura Sense!" Toby cried out, running out after them.

"Sorry, Candice…" Riley spoke up, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "But the Aura is with me… therefore, I must go. Duty calls, you know?"

Candice sputtered, looking at him in utter confusion. "What is all this? I don't even…"

Riley quickly tipped his hat to her. "Bye!"

And with that, he promptly left, running off in his friends' footsteps.

"_Hey_!" Candice cried, both furious and determined. "You aren't going _anywhere_ without me!" She recalled her bewildered Abomasnow and hurried after them.


	47. Chapter 47: Dream State

"Knuckles! How'd you turn back into a Riolu?" Leaf exclaimed, looking down with stunned surprise at the giggling little Riolu in her arms. Knuckles just snuggled closer to her and hummed happily.

"Well… I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway…" she shrugged and decided to forget about it for now. Knuckles was just too adorable at the moment for her to bother questioning his abrupt transformation too much.

Though she couldn't help but struggle to shake off those nagging questions in the back of her mind... Did Knuckles still remember how to fight? Could he even do so in this infantile state? Well… she did have other Pokémon to defend them… at least.

"Hey, you guys! What do you say we head off for Lake Valor next? We need to find Azelf!" a familiar voice abruptly cried out.

Leaf whirled around to discover Candice standing nearby with an annoyingly determined look on her face. Normally, Leaf wouldn't find that too weird, but… Candice was dressed exactly like her! She even had Leaf's backpack! What was she even-?

"Sounds good, Leaf. Let's do it!" Riley spoke up, suddenly appearing at Candice's side and nodding at her.

"Hey…" Leaf, the actual one, spoke up, frowning. "_I'm_ Leaf…!"

"Ready!" Toby grinned, now standing directly beside Candice.

"Hey! What do you even think you're doing here, Candice!" Leaf exclaimed, beyond annoyed now. "You're not fooling anyone by dressing up like me like that! You're such an idiot! What are you even _trying_ to do?"

"Oh, Candice! There you are!" Riley nodded at Leaf, smiling wearily but politely. "We hoped we'd get a chance to see you again before we left…" Something about his tone made those words sound entirely untrue…

"But-but… but I… I'm… I'm not…" Leaf stammered. She glanced down at herself to discover that she was wearing Candice's clothes for some reason.

"Oh, don't feel too bad, Candice!" Candice spoke up, grinning at Leaf. "We'll see you again someday! Now, come on, everybody! We need to get a move on!"

Knuckles cried out affirmatively, nodding with a small smile. He had appeared next to Candice and the others, fully grown as usual.

"…Knuckles?" Leaf raised an eyebrow, staring at his evolved form in disbelief. How could he be standing _there _when she was holding baby Knuckles in her arms! What was even going on here?

"Hand over Azelf now!" another familiar voice demanded.

"Hunter… J?" Leaf wheeled around and sure enough, there she was, standing there with her weapon pointed straight at the Riolu in Leaf's arms.

"That's right! Now hand it over!" J demanded again, holding out her other hand for baby Knuckles.

"No! _Never_!" Leaf declared resolutely and held the young Riolu tightly. She reached back to pull out her Pokéballs, only to find out that she didn't have her backpack with her. She whirled around to see if any of her friends were still around to help, but they were gone.

"It belongs to _me _now!" J's voice echoed through Leaf's ears as the bounty hunter abruptly grabbed the Riolu and ripped him away from Leaf's grasp. Knuckles' screech pierced her ears.

Leaf awoke with a start, her heart beating wildly. That was quite the dream…

Not eager to fall asleep again so soon, Leaf quietly climbed out of bed and crept out of the room, figuring she would take a short walk around the Pokémon Center to calm down. She had only reached the lobby when she began to feel tired again, so she paused to take a seat at one of the tables.

Closing her eyes, Leaf rested her head in her hands. It was cold in the lobby. Especially now that she was just sitting there, entirely still. She shivered in her seat, immediately regretting that she didn't think to grab a blanket before she had decided to leave her room. She snapped out of her reverie when she felt a paw rest on her shoulder.

"Knuckles? What are you doing out here?" she exclaimed, startled by his sudden appearance. "I thought you were asleep... When did you get up?"

He just shrugged lightly.

Leaf shivered again and started to wonder why she had even bothered to leave the warmth of her bed in the first place. She supposed it was natural that Knuckles had decided to follow her, but why did she always seem to be leading him in the wrong directions? Did she ever _really_ know what she was doing?

Knuckles stepped in closer and wrapped an arm around her, most likely in an effort to help her warm up a bit.

"Aw, thanks, Knuckles… That's really… nice of you…"

Maybe it didn't matter if she didn't know what she was doing. Her Pokémon were already caring and sweet, even without much effort on her part. And she would prefer to have a caring relationship with them over forcing them to become the most perfect of allies. Well, actually… wasn't a caring partner a perfect ally in it of itself?

She sighed and gently stroked Knuckles' forearm. She was going to need caring allies… She knew it certainly wasn't going to be easy… defending Azelf for the rest of her life…

It wasn't until Riley had walked right up to the table she was sitting at before Leaf finally looked up and noticed he was there.

"…Hi," Riley said somewhat awkwardly, apparently not used to being the first one to strike up a conversation.

"Hi." Leaf was suddenly cognizant of the fact that she was sitting there in her pajamas, and he was fully dressed. "Uh… why are you up?"

"I woke up a while ago and was having trouble falling back asleep…" Riley informed her as he took a seat across from her. He stopped there and hesitated, gazing at her with an uncomfortable-looking expression on his face.

"And you sensed that Knuckles and I were out here, and so you decided to come and found out why we're chilling out here, in the middle of an empty lobby?" Leaf guessed.

"Well… yes."

They fell silent for several minutes.

"So…" Riley spoke up, still looking rather uncomfortable, "… why _are _you out here? Is something the matter?"

"I don't know, really." Leaf shrugged it off. "But does it really even matter? Why wouldyou even care to know, anyway?"

Riley blinked. He didn't answer right away. "How can I _not _care?" he asked her, finally.

Her muscles tensed. She regarded him warily, deciding not to say anything in response.

"Look…" he heaved a small sigh, looking all around the room before finally resting his gaze on her, "I know something's up. You're still feeling bothered by something; I can feel it."

"If it's about yesterday, you can forget about it." Leaf answered, somewhat coldly. "I was just feeling sorry for myself… mainly just being stupid and annoying. Just forget about it, please."

"But… I can tell… there's still something that's unsettling you…"

"And what makes_ you_ think you know me?" Leaf snapped, suddenly angry. She wanted to punch him. Right in the face. He didn't know _anything _about her! He was only cheating with his Aura powers!

Riley looked taken aback by her sudden change in attitude. "Leaf, I'm… I'm genuinely concerned about you. I sense quite a bit of leftover anxiety and stress in your Aura... I want to help you resolve it. I know it's something other than defending Azelf. This all started-"

"I _don't want _talk to you about anything!" Leaf exclaimed, furious. "I can handle this by myself! I don't need your help!"

Riley looked quite hurt by this reaction. "I don't understand why you keep pushing me away…" he said softly. "Have I… done something to hurt you?"

The look on his face effectively startled Leaf out of her rage. She suddenly found herself staring at him with no idea of what to say, how to react.

Could she really blame him for someone else's past mistake?

No, it was wrong of her to project these sorts of feelings onto Riley… She knew that. He had done her no wrong. Not yet. And looking at his face now… Maybe he never would.

She sighed, covering her face with her hands, feeling undeniably guilty and irritated with herself. Here he was, touchingly concerned for her, and here she was, blaming him for something someone else had done to her years before. She was an idiot, really.

"I'm sorry, Riley…"

"For what?" It sounded genuine. Like he really didn't know…

"For snapping at you." she looked up at him, searching his eyes desperately. Did he know why? "Why do I keep doing this to you?"

"Don't worry about it…" he said softly, reaching out and gently resting his hand upon one of hers. "I can see you've released a lot of that tension already. You_ did _work it out on your own, it seems."

"Yes, I did," she replied, just as softly. "But you still helped me reach there."

He smiled. As she watched him, she couldn't help but wonder… if he knew all of that, then did he know the larger part of it? How she was really beginning to feel about him?

Just then, the clock on the wall chimed, startling them all, and Leaf looked up to see that it was already three o' clock.

"Well… what do you say we get back to bed? It's freezing out here, and you need to get your sleep!" Leaf exclaimed with a broad smile. "You've got an important Gym Battle tomorrow!"

"You've got a point there…" Riley agreed, rising from his seat.

She followed suit before playfully tickling Knuckles, deciding to chase him around for a while before heading over to walk alongside Riley. Knuckles followed them from a safe distance, still wary of another possible attack.

"Well, good night, Leaf…" Riley said to her once they reached the door to the girls' dorms.

"Good night, and thank you…"

Leaf felt she needed to do more than just say that, so she reached out to pat his shoulder. As soon as she started to reach out, she immediately withdrew her arm, reminding herself that this was something you'd do to express gratitude to a _Pokémon_,not a blasted _person_!

Riley, misreading her actions, assumed that she had wanted to embrace him, but was too embarrassed or thought it wasn't her place. So, he moved closer and gingerly hugged her himself, "You're welcome, Leaf. Anytime you need me, don't be afraid to let me know. I'll do what I can to be there for you."

Knuckles grunted. If they were going to be all mushy, then he was out of here…

"Right… Thank you, Riley. And well… good night!" Leaf said hurriedly and abruptly pulled away the second it seemed appropriate to do so. Then she quickly went inside the room and closed the door. After she had done so, she noticed Knuckles standing there in front of her with a small smirk on his face.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Leaf cried, her face hot with embarrassment.

He just continued on with it, his smirk widening even more.

"Just go to sleep! We have to get up early tomorrow!" she exclaimed, heading over to her bed.

Knuckles watched her curiously and ventured a question. Where did she think they were headed next, after Riley defeated Candice?

"I have no idea…" Leaf answered as she climbed into bed, "But hey, thanks for staying up with me. It was really nice of you…"

Knuckles headed over to grin at her, but it looked like she had already fallen asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, Knuckles went back over to his seat on the floor and decided to mediate until dawn. But of course, he eventually became too tired to keep it up, and he slid into a heap on the floor as he drifted off into a deep sleep.

oOoOoOo

A strange, elderly, short man was studying a capsule containing what looked like Mesprit to the naked eye. Whether it truly was Mesprit to the 'trained, scientific eye' was what he was currently trying to figure out.

"_Well_? What are your findings so far?" Hunter J asked impatiently. This blathering and bumbling old man was really starting to irritate her.

"Now, now! You can't rush _science_, you know!" Charon declared, revealing a nearly toothless grin. When he said the word 'science', he sounded as though he were referring to something heavenly or sacred…

"Yes, yes. Just keep going," J huffed.

After a long time of babbling (to Hunter J and to himself as well) Charon finally figured it out. Now it was time to explain his findings in terms that Hunter J would understand. "You see here… on my monitor… See those shinies? This Pokémon here has a high amount of shinies in his DNA samples…"

"What are you talking about, old man?" J grumbled.

"This Pokémon is special!" Charon smiled a very goofy grin at her.

"I don't _care_ how special it is! I _want_ to know if this Pokémon is Mesprit!"

"Oh, well why didn't you say so? If I had to take a _scientific_ guess, I would say that this Pokémon is definitely _not_ Mesprit!"

"What are you saying? How can you be so sure?"

"Oh, that's easy… Here, watch this…" Charon pulled out a long feather from his lab coat and opened up Mesprit's capsule just slightly so that he could poke the feather inside and tickle Mesprit's nose. Once he did so, Mesprit sneezed and suddenly transformed into a blue, shiny Ditto.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Hunter J shrieked, seething with rage. He could have shown her that in less than thirty seconds! But instead he had decided to waste _three hours_ of her valuable time with all this pathetic squabbling!

"Oh! Well, it gives my fancy equipment purpose, and I get to conduct more experimental research this way!" Charon exclaimed, nodding happily.

"GET _OFF _MY SHIP!"

"Fine… don't have a heart attack over it…" Charon grumbled and motioned for the Galactic grunts to pick up all his equipment for him.

"Get _rid_ of that useless Ditto!" Hunter J ordered her Drapion, who had just been standing there the entire time.

"Drapion!" he quickly saluted her before picking up the capsule. The purple Pokémon then carried the poor Ditto off to the exit and unceremoniously dumped him off the moment the doors had opened up for him.

"Dittooooo!" Ditto cried out as he fell through the air. He was just starting to panic when he noticed a Starly flying past. The Ditto quickly transformed into a Starly and flew off to find the real Mesprit. Maybe getting rid of Ditto wasn't such a smart idea after all…

oOoOoOo

Knuckles and Leaf were walking along a wooded path, heading off on their next adventure to… wherever.

Well, honestly, Knuckles wasn't entirely sure where they were going… He looked over at Leaf to ask her when she suddenly stopped in place and pointed.

"Hey look! Do you see that wild Pokémon over there?" she squealed.

Knuckles blinked and looked in said direction, but all he could see was Riley approaching.

"Wild Riley appeared!" Blathers squawked loudly.

Knuckles whirled around. "_Blathers_? What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm the narrator of course," Blathers declared, looking at him like he was an idiot. "What other purpose would I_ possibly_ serve in such a situation?"

"Uh, sure thing, birdbrain," Knuckles sniffed.

"NO DISRESPECTING THE NARRATOR!" he shouted.

"Can we just go now?" Knuckles grunted at Leaf.

"Uh… sorry Knuckles… but I can't understand Lucario language, you know…" Leaf reminded him, scratching her head.

"Well, where's Toby?" the Lucario asked, looking around wildly.

"Still don't know what you're saying!" Leaf sang out. Then she pointed at Riley again. "But who cares! Look over there! Isn't that the _cutest_ Pokémon you've _ever_ seen! I want to catch him!"

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles gaped at Riley, who had now fully approached them. He was watching them cautiously, much like a wild Pokémon would.

"Like I said _earlier_, a wild Riley has appeared!" Blathers screeched.

"He looks like a Normal type, so start with Force Palm!" Leaf commanded Knuckles.

Knuckles just stood there, completely confused. How could he attack Riley? It just didn't seem normal… at all. But then, Riley charged up an Aura Sphere in his hands and sent it straight for Knuckles.

"Wild Riley used Aura Sphere!" Blathers sang out. "What will Knuckles do?"

"Ow… that actually hurt…" Knuckles winced.

"Are you okay?" Leaf asked him.

Knuckles nodded and ran over to use Force Palm. If Riley was going to be that way, then he was going to fight back!

Riley smirked and easily sidestepped the attack.

"Knuckles' attack missed!" Blathers cried.

Riley was close enough to smash his foot onto Knuckles' toes with ease.

"Oh! Wild Riley used Stomp!" Blathers shrieked. "What will Knuckles do?"

"Use Tail Whip!" Leaf cried.

Knuckles' jaw dropped. Tail Whip? What the heck? Was she even serious right now? But regardless, Knuckles wagged his tail from side to side like Leaf had asked.

"Aaaagh!" Riley groaned, clutching his side like he was in pain.

"What the heck? I didn't even touch him…" Knuckles could hardly believe this right now.

"Wild Riley's defense was lowered!" Blathers declared.

"Since when was it painful to have your defense lowered?" the Lucario wondered aloud.

"Okay! Use Water Gun next!" Leaf cried.

Knuckles stared back at her with disbelief. Water Gun? How on earth would he be able to do that? He wasn't a Water Pokémon!

"Ooh! Wild Riley used Swords Dance!" Blathers cried.

And Riley started dancing… a very odd looking dance. He waltzed about in a fairly tight circle, waving his arms around like a crazed Tangela.

"Hurry, Knuckles! Use Water Gun quick!" Leaf cried out.

Knuckles opened his mouth to growl at her, but the moment he started to open his mouth, water started spraying out like crazy. So, he simply turned his head to aim for Riley, and the young man was struck by the mildly effective attack.

"A critical hit!" Blathers shouted enthusiastically.

"Great! Now I'll use my Ultra Ball!" Leaf declared.

Knuckles turned back to gape at her. Did she seriously think that that was going to work..?

Apparently she did because she tossed the Pokéball at Riley, and he disappeared in a flash of red light. The Ultra Ball twitched… twitched…

"Aw, and it was so close too!" Blathers whined when Riley magically popped back out.

In retaliation, Riley ran up to Knuckles and tossed him to the ground.

"Oh, man! Wild Riley used Seismic Toss! …I'm so glad I'm _not_ out there fighting right now ~ !" Blathers sang out happily.

While Knuckles was lying on the ground trying to recover, Riley lifted his foot to use 'Stomp' once again.

"Hey! You can't attack twice in a row! That's cheating!" Leaf complained.

"Oh, sorry." Riley looked a little sheepish.

"Whatever! Try this!" Leaf threw another Ultra Ball, and this time…

"Dadada! DadadadadaDAH! Leaf caught the wild Riley!" Blathers exclaimed. "Would you like to nickname the new Pokémon?" he questioned, rubbing his wings together deviously.

"Yes! I've _always_ wanted to catch a Riley! They're _so_ cute!" Leaf exclaimed before picking up the Ultra Ball containing Riley and holding it out happily.

Knuckles sat up and shook his head. Maybe all this was happening because he had suffered major brain damage at some random point in his life. That had to be it.

"Well, now it's time for… The NOUGAT DANCE!" Blathers shrieked. He immediately started to dance in a very cheesy and goofy manner while loud and atrociously cutesy music began to play.

"C'mon Knuckles! You've heard of the Nougat Dance, right? Dance with us; it's so fun!" Leaf exclaimed while she mimicked the Chatot's ridiculous dancing.

Knuckles squeezed his eyes shut, covered his ears, and tried his hardest not to get that infectious tune stuck in his head. When he reopened his eyes, he was startled to find that the music was gone. He then realized that he was lying on the ground as well... So had all that been a dream…? But it couldn't be… The last he remembered, he had been mediating…

Knuckles rubbed his ears with a pained look on his face. Well, in any case, that dream certainly wouldn't be one that he would easily forget… Who ever knew that music could be so annoying and yet so unbelievably catchy at the same time…?


	48. Chapter 48: Riley v Candice

"Good morning, Professor Oak!" Leaf grinned at the screen of the Pokémon transfer machine. It was high time for her to switch around the Pokémon in her party.

"Oh, hello, Leaf," Oak looked especially distracted for some reason. Leaf was about to ask him what was wrong, but she forget all about it when her Gastly suddenly appeared and covered the entire screen with his beaming face.

"Uh… hi, Shadow…" Leaf smiled weakly.

"I think your Gastly misses you," Riley noted as he made his way over. He was curious as to what other Pokémon Leaf might have.

"Yeah… my Gastly… he's a weird one alright," Leaf shrugged, "I mean, he totally saved my life and everything back when I went off to investigate the Haunted Tower in Lavender Town when I was like ten… but he's kinda like your Salamence… he totally follows me around everywhere and can never give it rest…"

Shadow grinned widely and nodded. Even he knew he was odd.

"Gastly, please! I need to see Leaf, too, you know!" Professor Oak said sternly.

Shadow backed away sheepishly and hovered behind Oak.

"Now, Leaf, I spoke with Rowan the other day, and he told me how worried he was about you… Now, why haven't you been contacting him with the progress you've made on your research? Has something gone wrong?"

"Oh, no, everything's fine," Leaf said quickly, "I've just been so busy with everything lately that I… haven't had the time to keep him up to date with everything!"

"Well, if you're sure…" Oak still looked a little worried. It wasn't like Leaf to fall behind like this. But he decided to push it out of his mind for the time being, "So then, you must have turned on that machine for a reason… which Pokémon do you want to transfer?"

"I was thinking of sending you Blaze since she's gotten a lot of training in, and I want to switch it up a little…" Leaf pulled out Blaze's Pokéball and almost set it on the transfer area when suddenly…

"Aaaack! No, Rotom!" Oak shrieked.

"Rotom?" Leaf perked up while Riley cringed slightly.

And then, Rotom's face appeared onscreen while he buzzed and twittered in his own little language. Apparently, he had possessed the transfer machine and was now controlling it so he could swim freely around this cool new piece of technology.

"Aw, hi Rotom!" Leaf happily smiled at her newest Pokémon, but Knuckles and Riley uneasily backed away from the machine.

"Rotom! Get out of there!" Leaf could hear Oak shout. But Rotom just giggled. He liked being in there.

Eventually, Oak somehow managed to get the naughty little trouble maker out, but Leaf hadn't the faintest idea how he was able to do that. Ctrl + Alt + Del…? Maybe?

"Oh my!" Oak sighed wearily, "Your Rotom has become quite the handful! He's always possessing my machines and wreaking havoc!"

"Yeah, he's kind of a trickster…" Leaf had to admit with a giggle, "But anyway, here's Blaze."

"Very good… the transfer was successful… Now, which Pokémon would you like to take?"

"Hmm…" Leaf played with her hair thoughtfully. This was the hardest part about being a Pokémon trainer… "Could you send me Espeon for now?" Leaf figured that since she wasn't quite certain where she was going next, it might be a good idea to stick with a reliably strong Pokémon.

"Very well. I'm sending her over now."

"Thanks, Professor!" Leaf beamed when her Pokéball was transferred over.

"You're welcome, Leaf. Now, I'm afraid I must be going now before-! Oh no! Rotom! NO!"

"Uh… yeah… I understand… see you later, Professor…" Leaf grinned sheepishly. Her Rotom was definitely turning out to be a real handful for Oak. He DID have a lot of crazy machines that Rotom probably loved messing with…

Nevertheless, Leaf turned off the machine and let out her Espeon.

"Aw, hi Espio! I missed you so much!" Leaf sat down to hug her Pokémon. Espio purred affectionately and nuzzled against Leaf.

"Do you have the whole evolutionary set of Eevee?" Riley asked her after she had embraced her Pokémon.

"No way," Leaf shook her head, "Some guy named Bill gave me an Eevee, and I evolved her into the Flareon I have today. I got Espio when I traded with one of my brothers. She was an Eevee back when I got her, so I was the one who took the effort to evolve her and make her the tough Pokémon she is today!"

Espio watched Knuckles curiously while Leaf stroked her fur. Knuckles kept a safe distance away. He was unsure about this one…

"…Who is Bill?" Riley asked with a slight raise of the eyebrow.

"He's some maniac guy that's extremely smart and whatnot. He actually invented that transfer machine right there."

"A maniac…?" Riley repeated, looking extremely baffled.

"Well, I guess he's NOT _exactly_ a maniac…" Leaf admitted.

Espio broke away from Leaf and bounded over to Knuckles, who stood absolutely still, almost as if he were frozen in fear. Espio playfully twitched her tail about Knuckles' feet. Knuckles immediately backed away, his face flushed with fear and embarrassment.

"What's wrong, Knuckles? Don't you like Espio?" Leaf asked after beholding such an odd scene.

"Maybe they have feelings for each other…" Riley suggested reluctantly.

"Oh, yuck! What the heck, Riley! That is just so gross!" Leaf wasn't exactly a romantic, and Pokémon love definitely wasn't her thing.

"W-what?" Riley looked both taken aback and embarrassed at the same time, "I mean, it's not such a bad thing, if you look at it in a practical sense… You know, if they bred together, you could wind up with either a Riolu or an Eevee with very advanced or unique moves…"

"Oh… I guess I didn't even think of that…" Leaf got to her feet, "The ever practical Riley…"

"You're too much," Riley lowered his hat and headed back to the table he had been sitting at earlier so that he could finish reading the newspaper before Candice arrived.

"Well… return, Espio," Leaf recalled her Pokémon before Knuckles could have a heart attack.

"Toby is… sooo tired…" Toby yawned as he headed over to see his friends. He immediately perked up, however, when he saw Riley reading the newspaper, "Riley find papers for fire! Riley is good!" He snatched the newspaper and started to crumple it up so that he could put it in his bag.

"Uh… Toby… I think Riley was planning to read that…" Leaf shrugged.

"Read…? What is that?" Toby blinked.

"That's fine… I was finished with it anyway," Riley sighed, "I suppose it'll make a good fire starter…"

Not too long afterward, Candice arrived, and as soon as she did, she made a beeline straight for Riley, "Good morning, Riley! Are you ready for our little battle?"

"Yes, I'm ready," Riley nodded.

"Oh, good! Then let's go!" Candice winked at him.

Not too much later, Riley stood before Candice for battle, while Toby, Leaf, and Knuckles sat up in the stands to watch. Leaf was excited; it had been a while since the last time she had witnessed someone else's Gym challenge, and she couldn't wait to see Riley in action.

Toby, however, was quite the opposite, "Battle is so long and boring…" he yawned as he stretched out to take up three whole rows of seating.

Knuckles was staring at his feet. Being short sucked. His feet couldn't even touch the floor.

"Don't think I'm going to go easy on you just 'cause you're cute!" Candice said to Riley as she held out her first Pokéball.

"…Don't hold back," Riley looked ready for this.

"Go Sneasel!" Candice cried and let out her first Pokémon.

"Come out, Metang!" Riley let out his steel and psychic type Pokémon.

Leaf frowned thoughtfully. And here, she thought he'd choose his Lucario… But then she realized that he probably chose Metang because he could float around and thereby not be hindered by all the ice like Knuckles had been in her Gym battle. And it didn't hurt that dark and ice type moves didn't work well against a steel type.

"Let the battle commence!" the referee announced.

"Start with Iron Defense!" Riley ordered.

"Okay, Sneasel! Use your Icy Wind attack!" Candice cried. The attack was a direct hit, but it wasn't enough to slow down Metang.

"Use Psychic!" Riley called out. Waves of purple energy emanating from Metang's mind struck Sneasel hard.

"Hang in there, Sneasel! Use Ice Shard!" Candice cried. Sneasel hurled a giant hunk of ice at Metang. The ice crashed into many pieces when it hit the sturdy Metang.

"Use Psychic again! This time should do it!" Riley nodded.

"Oh no! Sneasel!" Candice pouted when her Pokémon fainted. As soon as she recalled Sneasel, Metang began to glow with a mysterious light.

"I had a feeling this would happen sometime soon…" Riley smirked slightly.

"Hey! Metang's evolving!" Leaf prodded Toby so that he'd wake up. Knuckles watched with increasing interest.

"Hey! You've got a Metagross now!" Candice beamed and gave a thumbs up even though they were technically in the middle of a battle.

"META!" Metagross stomped upon the ground proudly.

"Well, now it's time for Froslass!" Candice sang out as she let out her next Pokémon.

"Ghost type, huh? As much as I hate to do this, I think you should return, Metagross," Riley frowned as he recalled his new Metagross, "Go, Absol!"

"Use Captivate!" Candice winked. However, this move didn't have any effect on Absol.

"Is Riley's Absol a _girl_?" Leaf looked surprised.

"Toby not sure. Leaf must ask Knuckles," Toby answered sleepily.

Knuckles just nodded without saying anything, his gaze fixed on the ensuing battle.

"Alright, use Swagger!" Riley directed.

Absol sighed (or something) and this made Froslass extremely angry for some reason. She was so angry that she couldn't even see straight, rendering herself confused and liable to miss her target for her next attack.

"Oh no! But, quick, use Ice Shard!" Candice said frantically. Instead of performing the desired attack on Absol, Froslass smashed herself with her giant chunk of ice.

"Sucker Punch!" Riley ordered. Absol somehow punched Froslass square in the stomach with an effective attack.

"Hang in there, Froslass! Keep it together now," Candice urged her Pokémon, "Use Ice Shard again!" This time, Froslass' Ice Shard attack was successful, and it dealt considerable damage.

"Finish with Night Slash," Riley commanded. Absol slashed at Froslass, her claws emanating with a dark energy. This move was enough to take Froslass down for the count.

"You're so mean, Riley," Candice whined as she recalled Froslass.

"Only doing my job," Riley shrugged slightly, "Return, Absol!"

"Aw, I'm just kidding !" Candice giggled, "Now, come on out, Abomasnow!"

"Go, Rukario!" Riley called out.

"Oh, so now he's sendin' out Rukario," Leaf mused. Riley's toughest Pokémon versus Candice's. Things were really getting interesting now.

"ABOMA!" Abomasnow roared as a hailstorm brewed inside the gym. Rukario winced.

"Start with your Wood Hammer attack!" Candice cried. Abomasnow smashed one of his powerful arms into Rukario with massive force.

"Blaze Kick!" Riley cried out. Rukario shook off the pain from Wood Hammer and leaped into the air to kick Abomasnow in the chest with his fiery attack.

"Oh no! Abomasnow!" Candice cried.

"Hmph," Leaf sniffed. Maybe now Candice had an idea of what it was like to lose.

Rukario winced from the hail, "Now's your chance, Abomasnow! Use Wood Hammer again!" Candice cried. Abomasnow smashed his arm into Rukario again, but Rukario wasn't down for the count just yet.

"Aura Sphere!"

Abomasnow could not dodge the powerful move headed straight for him. When the blast hit, Abomasnow fainted.

"Aw… it looks like you beat me," Candice pouted.

"Good work, Rukario," Riley smiled.

"You were amazing, Riley!" Leaf grinned at her friend while the trio of trainers stood outside Candice's Gym.

"Thanks…"

"Now Riley get a shiny?" Toby wondered.

"Yes, Candice is going to give me a badge," Riley nodded.

"Speaking of badges, you said that this was the last one you needed?" Leaf looked to Riley for answers.

"That's right," Riley replied.

"You ready for the Elite Four?" Leaf asked.

"…Not quite."

"Have you ever tried?"

"No."

"Okay, Riley! I have your badge!" Candice beamed as she emerged from her Gym.

"Thank you," Riley smiled and took his final badge.

"Oh, that's right; I've been meaning to ask you, Leaf," Riley began after he put his badge away, "How many more badges do you need?"

"I need two more," Leaf replied, "I don't really remember which ones right now though…"

"I was thinking that maybe we could travel to the Pokémon League together once the time was right for both of us…" Riley said to her with a slight smile.

"Hey! Hold on! Does this mean you're all going to leave without me?" Candice looked upset, to say the least.

"Well…" Riley looked uncertain as to what he should say next.

"I KNEW IT!" Candice exploded, "The only person YOU care about is Leaf!"

"…Excuse me? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean…" Poor Riley was really confused by this sudden unseen conflict.

"Riley care about Toby…!" Toby was trying to be helpful.

"And the only person YOU care about is yourself!" Leaf growled at Candice, knowing exactly what was going on here. She was so angry at Candice that she ignored Knuckles tugging on her jacket in his best effort to get her attention.

Unbeknownst to the bickering and otherwise distracted young trainers, a strange man scuttled over to them with a look of urgency on his face. Only Knuckles saw him coming.

"Excuse me? You are the Gym Leader?" the man asked Candice.

"Oh…" Candice's eyes widened at the sight of this man, "Um, yes, I am the Gym Leader here…"

"And what might your name be?" Candice gushed, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration.

"I am Looker. I am from the International Police. I am investigating a most important matter regarding the Team Galactic."

"Looker… wow… And here, I thought you'd have a name like Handsome…" Candice breathed.

"Shut up, Candice!" Leaf frowned at her. This was important here! What the heck was she thinking! "Anyway, what are you doing here, Looker? Did you find out something concerning Team Galactic?"

"Well, I am uncertain…" Looker began thoughtfully but then looked at her with sudden recognition, "Oh! Yes! You are Leaf! I remember you! It is good to see that you and … Riley are doing well. But I must speak with Candice right away."

"What is it, Looker?" Candice's heart melted when she heard Looker say her name.

"It is about the Lake Acuity. I received a tip-off that the Uxie has disappeared. Have you seen any suspicious activity there lately? I was unable to investigate earlier because of the storm of snow…"

"We went to Lake Acuity yesterday morning, and we didn't find Uxie or anything suspicious," Riley informed him.

"Yeah, it was really odd…" Leaf frowned, "Do you have any idea where Uxie might be, Looker?"

"No," Looker held his chin thoughtfully, "But I have a feeling that the Team Galactic is behind this…"

"But there wasn't any evidence left behind!" Leaf pointed out, "You remember when they went after Azelf; they completely destroyed Lake Valor!"

"Perhaps now they are being more careful to not draw so much attention," Looker pointed out.

Leaf just shrugged. She honestly didn't know what to think about it anymore. Maybe it was better left in his hands.

"Thank you for your help, all of you," Looker nodded gratefully, "But I must be going. There is much for me to do." And he promptly scuttled off.

"Oh… you're so… dreamy… Wait! You can't leave yet! Waaait!" Candice ran after him without a second thought.

"Uh… Candice…?" Riley blinked, startled that she hadn't even bothered to acknowledge them in the slightest.

"Well, hey! Looks like she's out of your hair," Leaf grinned at him, "And here, I was afraid we'd never get away from her!"

"What do you mean?" Riley blinked, his confusion rather obvious.

"Never mind!" Leaf smiled.

Toby just sighed. Snowpoint City was the worst.

Notes: Let it be known that dbzespio HATES group projects with every fiber of her being!

Seriously, that's why it took me so long to get a chance to write this. And I'm not out of the woods just yet. Don't expect much from me til round October 7th 'cause that's when this blasted thing is due. And of course, I get the hardest and vaguest topic of them all. Just gotta push on through, I guess. Sigh…


	49. Chapter 49: Battle Zone

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Riley nodded at her gratefully after he received the pokéballs containing his recently healed Pokémon.

"So… now what…?" Leaf shrugged.

"So… cold…" a familiar voice panted heavily.

Leaf whirled around to see Maylene saunter over with her whole frame hunched over in an attempt to get warmer.

"Maylene?"

"Huh?" Maylene looked up, "Leaf? What are you doing here? Oh, I bet you wanted the Snowpoint badge, huh?"

"Yeah," Leaf nodded but then frowned, "Why don't you have a jacket? It's freezing out there!"

"I'm fine," Maylene managed a small smile, "It's just my feet that are really cold. But it's okay; I just have to stay here to warm up for a little while before I go back outside."

"You mean you didn't even wear any shoes!" Leaf exclaimed loudly. This girl was crazy!

"I hear it's healthier to walk around barefoot," Maylene smiled wider, "And plus, all the Pokémon do it, so it can't be too bad to follow their example…"

"Yeah…! But Pokémon walk around without any clothes on either… and I'm not about to follow that example anytime soon!" Leaf pointed out. She looked at Knuckles and shuddered slightly. Honestly, learning from Pokémon was great, but you could take things too far.

"Oh, wow, I guess you have a point," Maylene giggled.

"Toby like shoes! Toby is not Pokémon!" Toby declared proudly.

"Who are your friends, Leaf?" Maylene asked. After Leaf had made all the introductions, Maylene looked at Knuckles curiously, "Oh, so your Riolu evolved already, huh? You really have to battle me again someday!"

"Sounds like fun," Leaf agreed.

"I'm not really up to it right now…" Maylene rubbed her hands together in an effort to warm up more, "…but I can wait! I know you're only going to get stronger and stronger!"

"And I'm sure the same will go for you," Leaf nodded, "I'm looking forward to it, though!"

"Me too. Good luck on your journey to get all the badges! And it was nice meeting all of you!" Maylene waved and headed off to the dorms so she could warm up and rest in a bed.

"Thanks! Bye!"

"So, where are we off to next?" Leaf asked everyone after they had all headed outdoors.

"I have the perfect place in mind," Riley smirked mysteriously.

"Where?" Toby asked.

"Just follow me," Rileyloved being mysterious.

"Oh, c'mon, Riley! Drop the whole 'mysterious' act and at least give us a hint," Leaf groaned.

"Fine…" Riley shrugged, "I was thinking that we all could use a break, and I know of a place that will turn out to be a good time for everyone. I'm sure of it.

"There's plenty of rare Pokémon that you won't normally come across in Sinnoh…" Riley nodded at Toby, "And… there's an amazing battle facility that I'm sure that you'll like," Riley told Leaf.

"That sounds great!" Leaf beamed.

"Where is place? How Toby, Riley, Leaf, and Knuckles get there?" Toby looked excited as well.

"…We just need to board this ship," Riley gestured to one of the ships in the harbor once they approached the docks.

"Whoa… is it just me or does that ship look really odd for some reason?" Leaf stared at the ship Riley had indicated. At first glance, it looked like just your average freight ship, but this one had two giant drills attached to the front, "Why does it have giant drills?"

"So that it can cut through the ice," Riley answered half-heartedly with a slight shrug. Apparently, it didn't really make much sense to him either.

"…Does that really work?" Leaf looked doubtful.

"Of course it really works!" a loud sailor man bellowed jovially with a hearty laugh, "Now where can I take you three?"

"We'd like to go to the Battle Zone, please," Riley spoke for everyone.

"You can," the sailor nodded at Riley, "But as fer yer friends… I don't think so."

"What? Why not?" Leaf exclaimed.

"Well… the Battle Zone's fer tough trainers only! I hav'n't heard of you two before, an' from what I can tell, the two of ya don' look very tough at all."

"They are tough. I can tell you that for certain," Riley broke in, "I'll vouch for them. Leaf's a very strong trainer, but she's from Kanto, so that's probably why you haven't heard of her before. And Toby… well… he's been… 'training independently' for quite a few years, but he's my cousin. I can assure you that he's a very capable Pokémon trainer."

"Well…" the sailor looked uncertain, "As much as I'd love to believe ya… I still have ta verify if what ya say is true… Tell ya what: if yer friends can beat ME, then I'll let 'em on my ship."

"Sure thing! I'm ready!" Leaf pulled out a pokéball.

"Good! Then let's settle this with a double battle. The two of ya can each use one Pokémon, and I'll use two. Sound fair?"

"Ok… Toby battle…" Toby agreed. He really wanted to find some rare Pokémon.

"You two choose yer Pokémon first," the sailor directed.

"Okay! I'll start with Espio!" Leaf cried eager to prove how strong her Pokémon really was.

"Hmm… Toby choose Mudkip!" Toby nodded and released his mudfish Pokémon.

"Go Tentacruel and Poliwrath!" the sailor cried.

"Okay, Espio! Use your Psychic attack on Poliwrath!" Leaf ordered.

Pink waves emanated from Espio's mind, and she sent them toward Poliwrath who made no attempt to dodge. The Poliwrath took the attack proudly and was certainly not down for the count yet.

"Dang, his Poliwrath is tough!" Leaf groaned.

"Of course he is! Now, Poliwrath! Use your Focus Blast attack on Mudkip!" the sailor commanded.

"Mudkip!" Toby's Mudkip easily dodged the attack. He was a quick little guy to be certain.

"Mudkip! Mud! MudKIP!" Toby cried. Mudkip conjured a crashing wave that enveloped all the combatants.

"Watch it, Toby! You hit Espio too you know!" Leaf frowned.

"Oh… Toby is sorry…"

Espio and the opposing Pokémon managed to shake it off though. After all, it wasn't an extremely effective attack for these types.

"Now, Tentacruel! Use Poison Jab on Espeon!" the sailor cried. Tentacruel's long poisonous tentacle slammed into Espio hard.

"Are you okay?" Leaf asked her Pokémon. Espio nodded affirmatively. "Good! Then use Psychic on Poliwrath again!"

This time, Poliwrath grimaced from the strength of the super effective attack. 'One more solid hit of any type should do it,' Leaf thought to herself.

"Poliwrath! Use Focus Blast on Espeon this time!" the sailor ordered.

Espeon winced from the strong attack, but it wasn't very effective on her.

"Hang in there, Espio!" Leaf urged.

"Mudkip! Mud! Mud! KIP!" Toby directed. Mudkip shot mud out of his mouth, which looked like one of the grossest scenes ever in Leaf's opinion anyway. This mud slammed into Tentacruel and was actually quite effective against him.

"Tentacruel! Use Wrap on that Mudkip!"

Mudkip became trapped in the slimy poisonous tentacles of the massive Tentacruel.

"Psychic one more time!" Leaf ordered Espio. She would be better able to help Toby's Mudkip after she defeated that Poliwrath.

"Poli… wrath…" Poliwrath groaned as he collapsed to the ground and fainted.

"Return," the sailor grumbled.

"Go! Pokéball!" Toby cried and threw an Ultra Ball at Tentacruel. The Pokéball smacked into Tentacruel's head but then fell to the ground uselessly.

"Toby! What the heck are you thinking! You can't STEAL people's Pokémon!" Leaf exclaimed.

"Yeah, kid! This is a Pokémon battle, not a game of marbles!" the sailor growled at him.

"Toby weaken Tentacruel, so Toby throw Pokéball like always… Uh… Toby is sorry…" Toby looked sheepish.

"You'd have to find your OWN Tentacruel in the wild or something! This one BELONGS to this guy!" Leaf explained loudly.

"Okay… Toby is sorry…" Toby grumbled like a little boy that had just gotten into trouble.

"Now use your Poison Jab on Espeon!" the sailor decided to resume the battle now.

Tentacruel used one of his free tentacles to jab into Espeon. Unfortunately, that's all she wrote for Espio, and Leaf's Pokémon fainted.

"Aw man, I'm sorry, Espio," Leaf sighed and recalled her Pokémon, "You have to win, Toby! Or else we won't get to go to the Battle Zone or whatever it's called!"

"Toby always win," Toby nodded proudly, "Mud! Mud! Kip! Mudkip!"

Mudkip shot another round of mud out of his mouth at Tentacruel, who growled in agony at the painful mud attack.

"Keep wrapping that Mudkip!" the sailor urged, "And use Poison Jab on it!" Tentacruel stabbed Mudkip with one of his free tentacles. Mudkip squealed in pain.

"Mudkip! Mud! Mudkip! Mud! Kip! Kip! Mudkip!" Toby urged. Mudkip shot out one last Mud Shot, and Tentacruel finally fainted.

"Well, well, well! It looks like the two of ya actually beat me! Kudos!" the sailor laughed as he recalled his Tentacruel.

"So… you'll take us to the Battle Zone?" Leaf asked, her blue eyes pleading.

"Yeah… I don't go back on me promises," the sailor nodded gruffly.

"You won't regret it," Riley agreed.

"You better keep a close eye on these two, Riley. I don't want all them ov'r there raising a stink 'cause I let in some green youngsters!"

"We aren't green!" Leaf insisted.

"Compared to what's out there, you are," the sailor nodded solemnly, "But forget about that fer now; come on abroad."

The three trainers thanked him and climbed abroad, ready to head off on their newest journey.

"All aboard!" the sailor (apparently, he was not merely a sailor, but the captain of the ship) yelled loudly several minutes later.

"You ever been on a boat before?" Leaf asked Knuckles once the boat started moving. The moment the boat started to move, Knuckles let out a sharp yelp in surprise.

"Don't worry; it's no big deal," Leaf assured her wide-eyed Pokémon with a slight smile on her face.

"How long trip take?" Toby wondered.

"Actually, it might take a while," Riley answered lightly.

"Uuuugh," Toby groaned impatiently and buried his head in his arms while they rested against the railing.

"Okay… I guess those drills really do work…" Leaf acknowledged as she gazed over the edge of the railing to peer down below at the frothing yet icy sea.

"Well, whaddya know," Riley commented, "… I suppose I never really thought to look down there before…"

Leaf shivered from the stiff and bitter wind from the icy sea and began to wonder to herself just where they were headed and what would be in store for them there.

Meanwhile…

Somewhere on Route 209…

A young Starly flew swiftly through the skies, intent on absorbing every bit of data processed by his dark brown eyes. The young bird looked too intent to be hunting, so he must have been up to something peculiar. Passing Starly could only wonder what was on his mind.

At last, the bird seemed to find what he was looking for. He swooped down to the bushes near a Trainer battle. The Starly then promptly transformed into one of the combatants in the battle, which happened to be a Lucario.

'I should be able to find Mesprit now rather easily,' the Lucario thought to himself as he focused his Aura. The Lucario then took off for the Lost Tower. It took him a while to reach the top of the tower, but when he did, he squinted in the dense fog and tried to hone his Aura to locate his missing friend.

"What do you want, Lucario?" a familiar voice teased.

"There you are!" the Lucario grinned.

"I'm glad that you're okay, Ditto," Mesprit said with surprising seriousness in her tone as she floated over to the Lucario.

"How long do you think our little game will last?" Ditto asked after he returned to his true form.

"As long as it takes," Mesprit's eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

Back to our heroes…

"Uuugh… Toby HATE riding on boats…" Toby groaned.

"What? Are you feeling seasick?" Leaf asked him.

"Toby can get sick from sea?" Toby looked frightened.

"Uh… never mind," Leaf turned back to gaze at the horizon once more. They had been riding on the drill boat for a long time now, and she was actually starting to feel really warm under her winter clothing, "Hey! Is that an island up ahead?"

Riley squinted slightly to see better, "Yes, I think we're coming close now."

Leaf gazed down at the frothing, warm sea and smelled the warm, salty air, "Are we headed to a tropical island, maybe?"

"Actually, yes," Riley nodded and started to take off his jacket.

"Well…" Leaf looked down at her winter clothes, "I think I'm hopelessly overdressed then…"

"You could go inside and change really quickly," Riley suggested.

"Toby must too!" Toby cried and ran inside the doors leading inside the ship, "Leaf come too?" Toby popped his head back out when he realized no one was following him.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Leaf laughed and hurried after him.

Notes: I'm currently overjoyed because my project is done! Gone with the wind! Man, it was such a painful process… I hate working with really slllloooooooooow people…

Seriously, I was meeting my group members for at least two hours nearly EVERY day… It was so annoying! And of course, we'd have to wait around for at least a half an hour every time for everybody to show up!

Okay, enough complaining. It's over now, and I really shouldn't bore everyone with my whining. ANYWAY, I put up a new poll, so please vote on it! I figured the old one was outdated since Leaf's already got a new Pokémon for now. This new poll I find to be really funny… but just wait, I've got a really amusing one in mind for the future!

But please try to take it seriously though. I've already got an idea in mind for the pairings in my story, but I do want to see what you all think. Until next time, and thanks for sticking with me this long!


	50. Chapter 50: Flint and Volkner

"I'm ready!" Leaf announced to her Lucario as she stepped out of the bathroom sporting her classic look once again.

Knuckles barely looked up and just grunted in response. He was currently busy testing out the softness of the bed by lying on it.

"Don't go to sleep! We have to get going! We're almost at this Battle Zone place!" Leaf cried.

Knuckles sat up and just gave her a look. He wasn't going to go to sleep! He knew it was going to take forever for her to get ready, so he figured he'd might as well wait comfortably.

"Okay, so maybe you have a point…" Leaf admitted, "But honestly, we've got other things to worry about! Let's go!"

Not too much later, Leaf, Riley, Toby, and Knuckles stepped foot in the tropical town known as the Fight Area. The three trainers decided to head to the Pokémon Center first because Espio and Mudkip needed to be treated.

"I think we should head to the Battle Frontier first. It's just over there, and they have five different areas with different rules for battles. We could probably wind up spending the whole day battling!" Riley was saying.

"I can't wait to see it!" Leaf did nothing to hide her excitement.

Toby, however, balked at the idea, "Leaf and Riley battle Pokémon _all_ day?"

"Why not?" Leaf raised an eyebrow at him, "And don't you want to try it out too? I mean, with a place as great as this, I think you could have fun even just by watching all the battles!"

"Toby just want to find new Pokémon," Toby looked out the window at the tropical forests not too far from the edge of town.

"Like I said earlier, there ARE tons of rare Pokémon round here that you probably wouldn't find anywhere else in Sinnoh," Riley reminded them.

"Yeah, and knowing you, Toby, I'll bet you'll find even rarer ones," Leaf acknowledged.

"Toby want to look now! Toby meet Riley and Leaf later. Riley and Leaf battle while Toby get more Pokémon," Toby decided.

"Sounds fine to me," Riley shrugged.

"Okay, Toby, we'll catch up with you sometime later today then," Leaf agreed. She figured that there was no use in dragging Toby around somewhere he didn't want to be.

"Bye, Riley, Leaf, and Knuckles!" Toby waved after he received his Mudkip back from Nurse Joy.

"See you soon," Riley nodded at him.

"Later, Toby," Leaf called as she put Espio's Pokéball back into her bag, "Alright then. Let's head off for this Battle Frontier!"

It didn't take long for the three of them to reach it, and when they did, it looked like they had company waiting for them…

"Riley! What are you doing here? Only strong trainers are allowed here!" a guy with a bright red afro cried out loudly. He sauntered over to them from where he had been standing talking to someone Leaf didn't recognize. He had a strongly bowlegged gait, and he peered at Leaf curiously.

"Long time, no see, Flint," Riley responded somewhat gruffly.

"Did you say Flint?" Leaf whispered to Riley, her eyes wide with surprise, "Isn't he from the Elite Four? How do you even know him?"

"Just leave them alone, Flint; nobody wants to talk to you," the young man Flint had been talking with earlier bemoaned as he sat on the edge of the fountains in front of the entrance to the Battle Frontier.

"Give me break, Volkner! Who _doesn't_ want to talk to me? I'm the friendliest guy here!" Flint shot back at him. Volkner mumbled a response, but no one heard him. Flint just decided to shake him off. Most likely, he probably something sarcastic to say, and Flint wasn't in the mood to play his games. As for right now, he had bigger fish to fry.

"So, Riley, what makes you think you can come here, anyway? Because I think you've gotten lazy in all the time you've been gone… But hey, that's just my opinion," Flint smirked pointedly, "So anyways… who's your new girlfriend? Where'd you meet her?"

"This is Leaf," Riley nodded to her, "And those two are Flint and Volkner," Riley added with a slight jerk of his head at each of them in turn.

Leaf just smiled somewhat weakly and gulped. Seeing a member of the Elite Four just standing there before her kind of rattled her. Just how tough did Riley seriously think she was? Maybe she really didn't belong here…

Flint stared at Leaf unabashedly and even leaned forward to peer at her oddly. Now Leaf just felt… awkward.

"Riley…" Flint finally opened his mouth to speak, "How in the _world_ did you get such a fine girlfriend?"

"You are SUCH an idiot!" Volkner shouted at him.

"What? Come on, I've been on the Elite Four for years, and I still haven't found a hot girlfriend! What is it about Riley that makes _him _so special?"

"I've had enough of this," Riley said sharply, "Step aside so that we can enter the Battle Frontier!"

"…I don't think so, Riley," Flint smirked, "You see, I just don't think you and your girlfriend are tough enough."

"Do you need me to show you?" Riley growled.

Flint laughed, "No need to get all hot-headed there, Riley. I know just how we can settle this once and for all."

"And how is that?" Riley smirked.

"A double battle," Flint smirked back, "You and your girlfriend versus Volkner and me!"

"How the h- did I get dragged into this?" Volkner groaned from his perch on the edge of the fountains.

"Oh, come on! Quit being such a complete loser!" Flint goaded him.

While the two of them argued, Riley turned to Leaf, "Are you ready for this?"

"… I guess so," Leaf watched the two of them argue and figured that at least they had solid teamwork on their side.

"Flint specializes in Fire types, and I hear Volkner works with electric types," Riley explained to her.

Leaf considered carefully for a moment before speaking up. She had an idea in mind, but she knew it was risky, "Riley, I think I can handle Flint's Pokémon rather easily with my Blastoise. But, I can't guarantee that since Volkner could really be a handful for me if I used him… So, if one of your Pokémon can keep his occupied, then I could take out Flint, and we could finish off Volkner together."

"Sounds good to me," Riley agreed, "I'm sure I can hold off Volkner long enough."

"Good, then let's do this," Leaf smiled genuinely, her confidence coming back.

"Hey! What are you two whispering about over there?" Flint and Volkner had stopped arguing, and now Flint was wondering what they were up to.

"We're ready when you are!" Riley declared holding out a pokéball.

"I still don't know why I'm actually doing this, but I'm going to give it my all," Volkner informed them.

"Prepare to be put in your place!" Flint smirked oddly.

Leaf figured now was as good a time as any for ladies to go first, "Go! Vegeta!"

"A Blastoise, huh?" Volkner smirked, "Then I choose Luxray!" A four legged Pokémon with thick dark hair stood before Volkner ready for battle.

"Go! Absol!" Riley cried.

"I'll go with Infernape!" Flint sent out a fiery monkey Pokémon.

"Vegeta! Use Hydro Pump on Infernape!" Leaf ordered. Vegeta took aim with his powerful water cannon and thoroughly soaked Infernape, much to the now shrieking monkey's dismay.

"Crap, Volkner! Do something!" Flint yelled at his comrade.

"Shut up, Flint! Now, Luxray! Use your Discharge!" Volkner commanded. All the Pokémon in the battle were shocked by Luxray's powerful electrical attack. Infernape looked like he was close to fainting now.

"Dude! What was that for?" Flint growled.

"That was for irritating me," Volkner smirked slightly.

"Absol! Use Swagger on Luxray!" Riley directed. Absol sighed and this made Luxray go berserk with rage.

"Well, sorry, Infernape, but you're totally about to faint anyway, so you might as well go all out and use your Flare Blitz on that Blastoise!" Flint cried.

"Since it's not like Volkner's Pokémon is going to take care of it," Flint added cheekily.

"Shut up!" Volkner scowled at him.

Infernape cloaked himself with fire and rushed at Vegeta, delivering him a taste of his fiery rage. But unfortunately for Flint, Infernape fainted after using the powerful attack.

"Good work, though, Infernape," Flint nodded and recalled his Pokémon.

"Withdraw into your shell, Vegeta!" Leaf ordered. Her Pokémon promptly hid into his shell to protect himself from any damage Volkner's Luxray had planned for him next.

Volkner frowned, "Just great. Fine then, use your Discharge attack again, Luxray!"

The electrical energy shocked both Absol and Vegeta, but luckily for Leaf, Vegeta's damage was roughly halved.

"Alright, Absol! Use your Thunderwave attack on Luxray!" Riley nodded. Now Luxray was confused AND paralyzed.

Leaf smiled. Maybe they really did have a shot at winning. Riley sure was helpful at a time like this. It felt great to be fighting back on the same side again, just like when they had first met.

"Okay! Enough messin' around! Now I'm for real!" Flint pulled out his next Pokéball, "Go! Magmortar!"

"Magmortar?" Leaf made a face. Man, that thing was freaky. He had like rocket blasters for arms.

"Okay! Use Skull Bash on Magmortar, Vegeta!" Leaf cried out next. Vegeta's shell sprang to life and slammed into the massive Magmortar.

"Mag…!" Magmortar groaned at the sheer force, but he was nowhere near being down for the count just yet!

"D- you Volkner! What the hex? Help me out wouldja?" Flint complained.

"Take care of yourself! You're in the Elite Four for God's sake! Besides, my Pokémon's confused and paralyzed in case you didn't notice!" Volkner sneered back, "But enough of that! Luxray! Focus and pull yourself together so that you can use Thunder Fang on that Blastoise!"

But Luxray was paralyzed. He couldn't move. Instead of carrying out the attack, he grimaced as he struggled to move his body.

"Use Sucker Punch on Luxray," Riley ordered. Absol leapt up to Luxray and somehow punched him in the face with one of her paws.

"Magmortar! Use Hyper Beam on Blastoise!" Flint cried.

"Blaaa!" Blastoise groaned in pain at the powerful attack. He was nearing his limits. Leaf would have to hurry up and end this quickly before he fainted…

"Hang in there, Vegeta!" Leaf cried, "Use Hydro Pump!"

Vegeta adjusted his water cannons and shot a powerful blast of water at Magmortar who grimaced at the pain.

"Ya think ya would have gotten rid of a water type by now!" Flint yelled at Volkner.

"Quit tryin' to blame ME for YOUR problems!" Volkner sneered, "Luxray! Use your Thunder Fang on Blastoise!" But instead, Luxray hurt himself by chomping down on his own electrical teeth, zapping himself in the process. He was really confused.

"Absol! Finish off Magmortar with Sucker Punch!" Riley directed. Absol punched Magmortar solidly since he was still reeling from Vegeta's critical hit. Magmortar fell to the ground and fainted.

"Way to go, Mr. Elite Four," Volkner commented sarcastically.

"It sucks when I don't have any help!" Flint grunted, "Return, Magmortar."

"Take care of yourself, you pathetic baby," Volkner rolled his eyes.

"Go be emo somewhere else!" Flint waved him off.

"Get a haircut," Volkner shot back.

"Well… I guess it's my turn," Leaf shrugged, "Withdraw into your shell again, Vegeta!"

Volkner was so busy arguing that he didn't even notice that it was his turn, "Go you idiot," Flint gave him a shove, "It's your turn."

Volkner gave him a solid shove in the arm before choosing his next attack, "Use your Thunder Fang on Absol!" Volkner figured that using a move against a withdrawn Blastoise would be a waste if Luxray actually managed to land an attack this time.

And this time, Luxray did manage to catch Absol in his teeth and give her a solid dose of electrical energy.

"Shake it off, Absol, and use Sucker Punch on Luxray!" Riley commanded. Luxray was hit again by a fairly powerful attack.

"Okay! Now I'm going to call out Rapidash!" Flint declared and released a fiery horse Pokémon.

"Skull Bash that Rapidash, Vegeta!" Leaf cried. Vegeta's shell slammed into the horse Pokémon, but she wasn't too rattled by it.

"Luxray! Use Thunder Fang on the Blastoise!" Volkner commanded again. But, Luxray was still suffering from paralysis.

"Absol! Use your Sucker Punch on Rapidash!" Riley said next. Rapidash dodged the solid punch aimed straight for her.

"Rapidash! Bounce into the air!" Flint smirked. He knew Leaf was planning to thrash his Pokémon with another water type move, and he wasn't about to let it happen this time.

"Blast it…" Leaf groaned, "Vegeta! Withdraw into your shell and get ready to use Skull Bash again!"

"You can't play defense forever!" Volkner declared, "Finish off Blastoise with your Thunder Fang, Luxray!"

This time, Luxray managed to perform the attack and bit severely into Vegeta's shell with jolting shocks of electricity. Vegeta poked his head out of his shell, and it was revealed that he had fainted.

"You did your best, Vegeta," Leaf nodded and recalled him.

"Now, Absol! Use Sucker Punch on Luxray!" Riley cried. Luxray was unable to avoid the solid punch aimed straight for his side.

"Bounce into Absol!" Flint directed. His Rapidash was now falling back down from her leap into the sky, and how she managed to stay in the air for this long was anybody's guess. She smashed into Absol as she made her landing back on solid ground.

Absol cringed from the attack. She was nearing her limits now.

Leaf reached for her pokéballs. She didn't really have much of a choice here, since she knew Blathers and Popuri were no match for Volkner's Pokémon, and she didn't want to risk using Knuckles with Rapidash still going strong, "Go! Espio!"

"Psychic type, huh?" Volkner knew he needed to seize the opportunity, "Luxray! Use Crunch on that Espeon!"

Thankfully for Leaf, Luxray was still confused and wound up using Crunch on himself somehow.

Now Riley was uncertain which Pokémon he should attack first. It'd be great if they could knock off Flint for good, but shouldn't he try to cover for Leaf's weaknesses? But he had to make up his mind now, so he decided quickly, "Use Night Slash on Rapidash!"

Absol's claws shined with a dark energy as she slashed at Rapidash. Rapidash didn't succeed in dodging the attack, but it wasn't all that effective anyway.

"Use Fire Blast on Absol!" Flint smirked in his odd fashion. Rapidash's attack hit Absol full on, and she fainted from the attack.

"You did your best, Absol," Riley acknowledged and recalled his Pokémon.

"Okay! Espio! Use Psychic on Rapidash!" Leaf cried. Pink waves danced about Espio's head, and from there, she directed the attack to head for Rapidash. The horse Pokémon cringed from the psychic attack's power.

"Luxray! Crunch now!" Volkner commanded. Luxray succeeded in smashing his powerful jaws into Espio. She grimaced from the super effective attack.

"Hang in there, Espio!" Leaf urged.

"Come out, Ursaring!" Riley called out his giant bear Pokémon.

"RING!" the giant bear type bellowed loudly and fearsomely.

"Dang…" Leaf looked nervous. Why on earth did Riley have such angry and deadly Pokémon anyway?

Riley shot her an inquisitive look, "What? My Ursaring isn't going to hurt you or your Pokémon..."

Leaf laughed nervously at her own fear, "Yeah, I know… I guess I'm just a little freaked out is all…"

"Okay! Now Rapidash! Use your Fire Blast on Espeon now!" Flint grinned proudly. Unfortunately for him, Espio was able to dodge the attack relatively unscathed.

"Great job, Espio! Keep it up with your Psychic attack! Aim for Rapidash again!" Leaf encouraged. This time, Rapidash was fast enough to dodge the majority of the attack.

"Crunch on Espeon again!" Volkner cried out. But Luxray was unable to comply thanks to the crippling effects of paralysis.

"Use Slash on Rapidash!" Riley ordered. Ursaring slashed his mighty claws against Rapidash, who looked close to fainting soon.

"Hang in there, buddy!" Flint urged his Pokémon, "Use Fire Blast on Espeon again!"

This time, Espio was hit full on, and she fainted, "You did your best," Leaf sighed. Maybe this wasn't going to do as smoothly as she had hoped.

"We have them now," Volkner smirked, "Use Thunder Fang on Ursaring!" Luxray bit into Ursaring with his teeth charged with electrical energy. Ursaring growled angrily and swatted Luxray away.

"Finish off Rapidash with Façade!" Riley cried. Ursaring rushed at Rapidash with an orange energy swirling about him. The attack was effective enough for Rapidash to faint.

"Man… It looks like I'm done…" Flint sighed as he recalled his Pokémon.

"You're worthless," Volkner growled.

"They ganged up on me! And it's not like YOU did ANYthing to help!" Flint raged.

"Just stand there and keep quiet! This whole thing rides on my shoulders now, so shut up so that I can concentrate!" Volkner ordered angrily.

"You could have all the concentration in the world, and you'd _still_ lose," Flint mused while looking up at the sky as if not looking at Volkner meant that he wouldn't still get ticked off.

"Well, looks like you're up next, Knuckles," Leaf nodded at him. Knuckles got into position and smirked, ready to finish this once and for all.

"Luxray! Use your Discharge!" Volkner commanded. Luxray snapped to attention, his confusion had finally worn off. Then his fur bristled with electric energy, and he sent it in all directions, thoroughly zapping Knuckles and Ursaring.

"Ursaring! Use Slash!" Riley directed. However, instead of performing the attack, Ursaring winced and struggled to move his limbs. He was paralyzed.

"Finish this with Aura Sphere, Knuckles!" Leaf instructed. One Aura Sphere was more than enough to knock out Luxray.

"You're dead," Flint remarked as Volkner recalled his Luxray.

"You've _been _dead," Volkner shot back, "Now, come out, Raichu!"

"Use Façade, Ursaring!" Riley nodded. This time, Ursaring's attack was much more powerful because he was suffering from paralysis.

"Okay, Knuckles! Use Bone Rush!" now Leaf actually felt kind of bad thrashing Volkner since it didn't really feel like a fair fight anymore. But Knuckles didn't really seem to feel the same way because he smashed Raichu with his bone hard enough that the Pokémon fainted.

"Return, Raichu," Volkner muttered, "Now, go, Electivire!"

"Electivire?" Leaf stared at the giant black and yellow Pokémon.

"Electivire," Electivire nodded at Leaf as if to answer her question.

"Use Façade once more, Ursaring!" Riley cried. But, Ursaring couldn't because he was paralyzed.

"Well, then, Knuckles, I guess it's our turn! Use Bone Rush again!" Leaf cried out. Knuckles whipped out his bone and smashed it into Electivire. Electivire, however, recovered quickly and smirked at Knuckles' surprise.

"Nice try," Volkner smirked as well, "Now use Discharge!"

Both Pokémon were zapped by the powerful move.

"Try using Façade once again!" Riley said next. This time, Ursaring's move worked along with the added power that came from being paralyzed.

"Finish with your Bone Rush, Knuckles!" Leaf cried. This last attack was enough for Electivire to fall to the ground and faint.

"I can't BELIEVE they beat us!" Flint looked genuinely surprised.

"Turns out they weren't the lightweights you thought they were," Volkner sniffed and recalled his Electivire.

"Wow," Leaf let out a sigh of relief, "That was quite the battle…"

"No doubt," Riley smiled.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Well, initially, I wasn't planning on making Flint and Volkner argue so much, but I guess it kind of really wound up that way, didn't it? Well, I suppose a flint truly IS used to start fires, literally _and_ figuratively…


	51. Chapter 51: Battle Hall

"Okay, fine; I guess you ARE tough enough for this place," Flint finally acknowledged after he had stopped arguing with Volkner.

"Is that why you guys stand out here, just so that you can make sure that no weaklings manage to sneak in?" Leaf teased, feeling more confident and playful now.

"Yeah, that's Flint's job," Volkner nodded, "That's exactly why he hangs here all day and night."

"I do not! Why do you have to be such a jerk all the time?" Flint groaned. And then they erupted into another argument.

Knuckles covered his ears and growled at Leaf. Why did she have to say that? Now they were at it again! It was really enough to drive anyone crazy!

"How was I supposed to know any meaningless comment would set them off?" Leaf folded her arms over her chest.

"Maybe we should just leave now…" Riley shrugged.

"Sure, bye Flint and Volkner," Leaf waved even though she wasn't certain if they would even hear her.

"Oh, bye Leaf! If you ever get sick of Riley, you know who to come to!" Flint nodded at her. Leaf just tried her hardest not to make a pained look on her face.

"You're sick," Volkner shook his head.

"What? At least I ask, unlike you, who just keeps it all bottled up!"

"Okay, we're going," Leaf informed them and left with Riley and Knuckles.

Volkner trudged over to his perch on the edge of the fountains, "You're delusional," he muttered at Flint.

"Oh, come on," Flint smirked at him, "Don't even try tellin' me that you don't think Riley's girlfriend is fine."

"She's not even his girlfriend, imbecile," Volkner sneered.

"Imbecile? Where the heck did you get THAT from?"

"I don't know why I even talk to you," Volkner frowned.

Meanwhile, Leaf, Knuckles, and Riley headed into the Battle Frontier entrance. The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by six identical women sitting behind desks.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to the Battle Frontier," the six of them said in unison.

Leaf just froze. Seeing this many identical women all in the same place just looked… really freaky in her opinion. They were even all dressed exactly the same.

"Is this your first time here?" the closest woman smiled at Leaf.

"Uh, yeah," Leaf began, but that was all she had time to say before every single woman began to bombard her with information. They were all talking at once, so Leaf couldn't catch anything any of them were saying even if she wanted to. Even Knuckles looked freaked out by the situation.

Leaf just looked over at Riley and wondered what the heck she was supposed to do.

"If you have any questions, you can just ask me," Riley reminded her, "I've been here plenty of times before."

"Aw…." All six women did nothing to hide their disappointment.

"Well, thanks anyway for your help," Riley nodded to them and decided to lead the way.

"If you have any questions though, you know who to come to for help," one of them said to Leaf as she walked past.

"Uh, yeah… thanks," Leaf decided to hurry past.

"Oh, wow…" Leaf breathed once they stepped outside into a plaza teeming with trainers. Knuckles looked excited as well.

"What do you think?" Riley led them to the center of the plaza, "See? They have five different areas where we can do battle with different sets of rules… Which one do you think you'd like to try first?"

"Well… man… I don't know…" Leaf gazed around at all the activity and felt a little overwhelmed, "Uh… which one do you like best?"

"My favorite?" Riley repeated, "Well… I suppose I'd have to say the Battle Tower over there," he decided and pointed up at the highest building just before them, "But I think we should save that one for last since it's the most challenging."

"Okay, then what are the other ones like?" Leaf asked him.

"Well, over there is the Battle Factory," Riley pointed to the building to the northeast, "That's where you can hold battles with rented Pokémon."

"Rented Pokémon? Yuck," Leaf looked vaguely disgusted. She didn't come all this way just to use someone else's Pokémon to battle with.

"Okay… Well, over there is the Battle Arcade," Riley pointed to southeast, "That's where you have to hit a sort of roulette to determine pivotal events in the battles."

"That sounds kinda interesting," Leaf acknowledged, "But what are the other ones like?"

"Over there is the Battle Castle," Riley indicated the southwest, "That's where you need to earn Castle Points that you can use to trade for items and chances to heal your Pokémon."

"Aw, man, speaking of healing my Pokémon," Leaf suddenly remembered, "we forget to heal our Pokémon after that battle with Flint and Volkner!"

"That doesn't matter," Riley explained, "The workers here heal your Pokémon for you before you start any battles."

"Oh, that's pretty amazing," Leaf looked impressed, "Oh yeah, and what's that last one like?" Leaf remembered and pointed to the building in the northwest.

"That's the Battle Hall," Riley explained, "That's where you must only choose one Pokémon to battle with, and you have to choose which types your Pokémon will go against."

"Well, I suppose we could just go there first and then continue round the circle as we go," Leaf suggested, "Do you think we'll have enough time to try them all?"

"I don't see why not," Riley agreed.

"Cool! Then let's go!" Leaf was excited for this.

The two trainers and Knuckles went up the steps to head for the pink building known now as the Battle Hall. Leaf began to wonder why they'd decide to paint it pink like that…

But she forgot all about that once she stepped inside. The building was rather large and expansive, and there were many steps leading down to where many people were bustling about, most likely signing up for battles. But the strangest thing of all was the music filtering down from the speakers. It sounded to Leaf like some kind of funky piano music. Something she definitely wouldn't be into… that's for sure.

"Wow. So… where do ya battle at?" Leaf finally asked.

"We probably need to sign up before that," Riley chuckled, "They'll lead us to the battle arena once it's our turn."

"Oh," Leaf realized. Being a noob to this sort of thing was not only annoying but also pretty embarrassing.

But at any rate, Leaf and Riley went down to sign up. They wound up having to have to choose their Lucario because that was the only Pokémon they had in common between the two of them. After all that was over with, they then decided to head over to a sort of lounge where other trainers were waiting. Leaf sat beside Riley and watched the TV blankly. Nothing interesting was on, but it was better than trying to talk to Riley with all these other people around practically screaming their heads off at each other. Then came the commercials. Yippee…

"Tune in Friday night for the return of the famous PokéDetective! Join the brilliant Pokémon researcher by day, dapper detective by night in his quest to bring down the forces of evil threatening his region! Fridays at eight o'clock! Don't miss it!"

"Is that…" Leaf's jaw dropped in disbelief, "Professor _Rowan_?"

"Maybe," Riley looked amused. But Knuckles just looked like he was going to be sick.

"That… I don't even… I don't even get that," Leaf just raised an eyebrow. Sinnoh TV viewers certainly had weird taste in TV programs, to be sure.

"I wonder if we can get the news…" Riley looked around for the remote, and was surprised to find it on the table right beside him, "Alright. Here we go."

"This just in!" a newscaster woman said urgently into her microphone. Leaf leaned forward slightly in interest.

"We've spotted hordes of Slakoth in the vicinity of Route 213!" the newscaster cried.

"What…?" Leaf slumped in her seat. What kind of 'important' news was that?

"So, if you've ever wanted to catch a Slakoth," the newscaster continued, "Or if you've ever wanted to wear them on your head…"

Leaf balked. Honestly? What kind of news program WAS this anyway?

"If you've a true viva Slakoth kind of trainer… Then come on out to Route 213! That's Route 213! Don't forget it now! Route 2-1-3!"

"Yeah, I get it already," Leaf rolled her eyes at the TV. Then she turned to Riley, "Don't they have any decent TV here in Sinnoh?"

"I don't really know," Riley shrugged, "I don't watch TV much."

"Really? Well, I guess I can't blame you, considering all this crap they have on here," Leaf leaned back in her seat and tried to think of something better to do. She gazed over at her Lucario sitting beside her, and it looked like he was engrossed in the TV. Leaf couldn't really tell why; the news broadcast was over by now, and all that was on now was some boring toothpaste commercial. Maybe Knuckles just found toothpaste to be fascinating. Or maybe the TV was giving off weird auras or something...

"You want the remote?" Riley asked Leaf after a while. Apparently, the news was over for good, because a long boring infomercial about some vacuum cleaner was on now.

"Sure," Leaf took it and then handed it to Knuckles. After she briefly explained how to change the channels, Knuckles fumbled with the tiny buttons for a while until he finally got the hang of it. Soon he was flipping through channels a mile a minute stopping only when there was a commercial.

"Dude, Knuckles, you're supposed to _avoid_ the commercials," Leaf groaned. But Knuckles was too interested in learning about the newest hair gel to hear her.

Utterly bored, Leaf looked over at Riley. He was just sitting there, staring off into space. Leaf vaguely wondered what he was gazing at, but it turned out to just be a blank space on the wall. Interesting as that was, Leaf decided to turn her attention elsewhere, but then she suddenly noticed that her hair was statically attracted to Riley's jacket, causing it to look really… weird. It was nearly standing on end in its best effort to stick to his jacket.

"Uh, sorry," Leaf hurriedly tried to make her hair stop doing that, but it really wasn't working very well.

"Oh? Sorry," Riley moved over a little, thinking that she didn't have enough room or something.

"Actually… it's just my hair…" Leaf groaned because it now looked even stranger.

"…Did I pull your hair somehow? I apologize if I-"

"No, it's just- Ow!" Leaf got a strong static shock when she accidently brushed against Riley's arm in an attempt to get her hair away from him.

"I hate static electricity!" Leaf complained and rubbed her sore finger. Riley just looked confused.

"Riley and Leaf?" a battle attendant lady called tentatively into the crowd of trainers.

"Over here!" Riley called, "Well, I suppose it's our turn now," he smiled at Leaf and started to get up to follow the attendant.

"Good, finally," Leaf grinned and got to her feet, "Come on, Knux!" she practically had to drag him away from the football game broadcasting on TV.

"Okay, Riley and Leaf, just follow me," the attendant woman smiled at them when they approached the desk, "Oh? Wait, Pokémon aren't allowed past this point, so if you could place your Lucario in the Pokéball, that would be great," she nodded once she caught sight of Knuckles.

"Uh, sure thing," Leaf recalled him and followed the lady behind the desk into a hallway with Riley on her heels. The hallway was dark, but not very long. Once the attendant reached the end of the hallway, she stepped aside and motioned for them to keep going.

Once Leaf and Riley left the dark hallway, they headed onto a long platform leading to a giant battle arena. Leaf gazed around in surprise. The area around the arena (and up and down the platform they were on) was absolutely PACKED with people! It almost looked as if they were going to enter a Contest rather than a battle.

"Why are there so many people?" Leaf whispered to Riley once they reached the battle arena and started to walk up to another attendant.

"Try not to think about it," Riley advised, remembering how nervous he was the first time he tried this out.

"Welcome!" the attendant beamed. As soon as she said that, the lights flashed to their brightest, practically blinding Leaf. Well, at least she couldn't really see the crowd anymore.

"Which type would you like to take on first?" the woman asked.

"Uh… how about normal first, just to start with?" Leaf suggested after looking at the list. Of course, normal type was the first one.

"The Normal type it is then!" the attendant beamed.

Leaf and Riley turned around to face their first challengers who were currently walking up the platform to meet them.

The first was a little girl dressed up in a Pikachu costume, "I've worn this costume for a long time now. Bathing is for wimps!" she announced.

"Ew, yuck," Leaf made a face.

The other challenger was a determined looking Pokémon Ranger, "I'm Alex, and my duty is to protect all Pokémon living peacefully in the forests of Sinnoh!"

'Well, she'd get along with Toby,' Leaf thought to herself.

"Go, Delcatty!" the little Pikagirl and Pokémon Ranger Alex cried in unison.

"Go Knuckles!" Leaf cried.

"Come out, Rukario," Riley ordered.

"Okay, Delcatty, start with Sing!" Pokémon Ranger Alex cried. Delcatty began to sign the most random song ever in Leaf's opinion. It was a decent melody, but it certainly was unexpected.

"Ah, just great!" Leaf groaned when Knuckles fell asleep.

"Use Close Combat!" Riley directed his Pokémon. Rukario dashed up to the Pikagirl's Delcatty and gave her a good thrashing, causing the poor Delcatty to faint immediately. The crowd went wild.

"Y-you're… you're SO MEAN!" the little Pikagirl bawled.

"Uh… sorry…" Riley looked remotely embarrassed. He really wished that they wouldn't allow little children to battle here. After all, weren't you supposed to be at least ten years old to train Pokémon anyway?

"Wake up, Knuckles!" Leaf pleaded, but he was sleeping soundly.

"Delcatty! Use Attract!" Pokémon Ranger Alex smirked. Delcatty winked cutely at Rukario, and of course, he completely fell for it.

"Snap out of it, Rukario, and use Close Combat again!" Riley cried. But, Rukario shook his head, too captivated by Delcatty's beauty to will himself to attack her.

"Blast it, Knuckles! Wake up!" Leaf yelled. But, Knuckles didn't even stir.

"Good job, Delcatty! Now use Strength!" the Pokémon Ranger nodded. Delcatty ran over to Knuckles, picked him up, and threw him in an impressive feat of her feline powers. The crowd cheered.

"How the heck could a Delcatty get so strong?" Leaf winced, "This battle is definitely one of the most random ones I've ever had…"

But luckily for her, that attack was enough to jolt Knuckles out of his sleep, "Great! You're awake! Now use Aura Sphere on that Delcatty!" Leaf grinned. Knuckles shot an Aura Sphere, and that was enough for the cat Pokémon to faint.

"That's okay! My main duty is to protect the forests of Sinnoh, and that will never change!" Pokémon Ranger Alex nodded proudly after she recalled her Delcatty.

"I won't take a bath! I won't!" the Pikagirl cried before leaving the arena with Ranger Alex on her heels.

"Good job! Both of your Lucario will be healed," the attendant told Riley and Leaf when their challengers had left. She took their pokéballs in her hands and a slight ringing sound could be heard.

"There! Your Pokémon are fully healed! Now, which type would you like to face off against next?"

"Uh… how did you DO that..?" Leaf blinked.

"Easy. I used to be in an RPG," the woman smiled.

"…What…?" Leaf was really confused. But the crowd was getting anxious, so she decided to just ignore it.

"So, what do you think we should pick next?" Riley asked her as he gazed at the list.

"Let's just go with whatever one is next," Leaf shrugged. She wasn't feeling too picky today.

Several battles later… Leaf and Riley were ready to face their last set of opponents. They had chosen the electric type as their last challenge…

"I'm Psychic Sophia, and I am going to be a Pokémon Master!" the young Psychic girl proclaimed as she stood before Riley and Leaf on the battlefield.

A Lass was standing beside her, "I'm… uhm… find out after the battle…!"

"Go Ampharos!" they cried in unison.

"Alright, Knuckles," Leaf called out.

"Come out, Rukario," Riley cried.

"Okay, Ampharos, use Thunder Punch!" the Lass cried. Her Ampharos punched Knuckles with a shocking ferocity, shocking in more ways than one.

"Use Bone Rush!" Leaf cried once Knuckles had recovered. He whipped out his bone and smashed Ampharos. It was effective to be sure, but it wasn't enough to put the electric Pokémon down for the count.

"Now! Ampharos! Use your Signal Beam!" Psychic Sophia commanded. Her Ampharos opened his mouth to unleash his multi colored beam headed straight for Rukario. It was a direct hit, and it was moderately effective.

"Aura Sphere," Riley ordered. Rukario charged up an Aura Sphere and sent it straight for Sophia's Ampharos. It was moderately effective as well.

"Thunder Punch again!" the Lass cried.

"Okay, Knuckles; finish with Bone Rush!" Leaf nodded. This was enough to bring down the Lass's Pokémon.

"Ampharos! Use Discharge!" Psychic Sophia ordered. Both Lucario were shocked by the powerful move.

"Try using Close Combat," Riley said next. This powerful move was enough to bring down the Psychic girl's Ampharos. The crowd cheered.

"I will become a Master one day," Psychic Sophia declared before walking off.

"I still love Ampharos!" the Lass squealed before running off after her partner.

"Congratulations! You both receive BP!" the attendant beamed at Leaf and Riley.

"Uh, thanks," Leaf smiled back, "…what's BP?" she whispered to Riley once they were out of earshot.

"You can swap BP for items at the kiosks we saw near the entrance," Riley explained.

"Cool," Leaf was impressed. This place was turning out to be a blast!

oOoOoOo

Notes: I'm certain some of you out there can guess who I used for inspiration in the battlers that Leaf and Riley had to face!

That's right, reviewers! As a little shout out to you, I decided to base the Battle Frontier battlers off of you guys! Let me know what you think!


	52. Chapter 52: Battle Castle

"So, now we're headed for the Battle Castle, right?" Leaf asked Riley as they left the Battle Hall.

"That's right," Riley nodded, "It's that building up there that looks like… a castle."

Leaf and her friends weaved through the crowd to get there, but once they neared the doors, Riley kept going…

"Uh, Riley? What? Where are you going?" Leaf shrugged and decided to follow him.

"Yup, I thought so…" Riley smirked slightly as he peered over the edge of the path, "Still there?" he pointed down below.

Leaf blinked at him for a moment in confusion, and then decided to look for herself. And just below them, there were Volkner and Flint still 'guarding' the front entrance. So of course, now, Flint was engaged in battle with a young trainer, and Volkner was sitting passively on his perch, waiting for it to all be over with.

"They're STILL there?" Leaf exclaimed.

"Apparently," Riley decided to state the obvious.

"Hey Volkner! What are doing? Why haven't you tried any of these battle areas yet?" Leaf called down to him.

Several feet down below, Volkner heard the sound of his name and looked around, vaguely wondering if he was hearing things. Then he turned around when he finally realized where it came from, "Oh, it's just you two again," he mused quietly, "…Don't throw anything at me," he added, realizing what an easy target he'd be from sitting so far below them.

"I wasn't going to!" Leaf insisted, slightly irritated that he'd even suggest it.

"Are you and Flint planning to actually participate here?" Riley asked.

"Maybe… I don't know, though. Flint always gets all worked up over noobs showin' up uninvited, so… I guess he's volunteered himself to stand guard every time he comes here… As for me… I don't know why I even bother coming anymore… Flint isn't a very helpful battle partner anyway…"

"You don't have to have a partner," Riley reminded him.

"Meh, it's no fun if you don't."

"Guess you have a point."

"Riley and his girlfriend! You're back!" Flint welcomed them grandly. His battle was now over, and his opponent had been victorious.

"Hey, Flint, still guarding the perimeter?" Leaf smirked.

"No one else is brave and cunning enough to handle it!"

"Enough! Let's go do what we came here to do," Volkner got up.

"Oh, that's right! I can't have Riley beatin' my records now, can I?" Flint smirked in his signature odd fashion.

"Anything to keep you focused," Volkner briskly headed for the doors.

"Bye, guys," Leaf waved.

"Later!" Flint smirked again and followed after Volkner.

After all that was over with, Leaf, Knuckles, and Riley headed inside the Battle Castle. This time, Leaf was not overly stunned by the expansive interior (it was a castle after all), and she was pleased to see that there were considerably less loud people here. And not to mention, there was lovely orchestral music playing all throughout the room. It was soft and pleasant to Leaf's ears.

"This is Riley music, isn't it?" Leaf smirked at him.

"What do you mean?" Riley looked at her with confusion written all over his face.

"You listen to this kind of music, don't you?"

Riley laughed, "Not quite."

So, they made their way to sign up, and surprisingly enough, there weren't many other trainers this time. But they still had to wait for their turn...

So, Leaf sat down between Riley and Knuckles on an overly luxurious couch. In fact, it almost seemed too fancy and expensive looking to even be called something as common and ordinary as a 'couch'. But at any rate, they were nowhere near the television, since the few trainers in the lounge were all crowded around it.

Leaf got bored quickly and tried to think of something interesting to talk about. Then she suddenly remembered something. Seeing Volkner and Flint again had reminded her…

"So, Riley…" Leaf began, trying her best to be casual, "I noticed you never bothered to correct Flint when he called me your girlfriend…"

"Oh, right. Well, you know Flint; he never really listens to reason. You could tell him something a thousand times, but he probably wouldn't even pay attention, much less remember it. Even with something as outrageous as that…"

"Outrageous?" Leaf looked shocked to hear that coming from him, "Well! Geez, I didn't realize me being your girlfriend was such a ridiculous idea!"

"Uh, no," Riley actually looked pretty scared now. He was treading in dangerous waters now, "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Really? Then how did you mean it?" Leaf asked sharply, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Well… I…" Riley really wished he hadn't said anything. What was it about Leaf that made him constantly say things he didn't really want to?

"OMG! It's a Lucario!" an obnoxious fan boy voice cried out.

"Who the-?" Leaf turned around to see some chubby Pokéfan dork hugging her Lucario. Poor Knuckles was grasping for breath, trying his hardest to find a way to break free of this guy without breaking his arms.

"Hey! Back off!" Leaf growled and tried to pry him away from her Pokémon.

"Whoa… wait a second," the Pokéfan relaxed his grip when he noticed Leaf, "This Lucario belongs to _you_?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Leaf huffed.

"I didn't think a girl would have a Lucario… I mean, girls are supposed to like cute and fluffy Pokémon… Hey! Do you want to trade? I have tons of cute Pokémon that a girl would like!"

"Forget it!" Leaf resumed her attempts to pry him off Knuckles, "I'm never going to trade, so just go AWAY already!"

"Never? Why not? Come on! I have tons of-!"

"I said no! How many times do I have to say it!" Leaf really yanked hard now, but she wasn't able to make this annoying dork budge.

"Please? Come on, I _know _I have something you'd like!"

"Let go of my Pokémon! Can't you see you're driving him crazy?" Leaf reached into her bag to get out his Pokéball. Then she promptly recalled Knuckles so that the kid would finally get his greasy paws off of him.

"The Pokémon's not the _only _one that I'm driving crazy…" the Pokédork smiled at Leaf suggestively.

"Ugh…" Leaf wanted to vomit, but instead settled for slapping him across the face.

"You… you hit me…!" the Pokédork actually looked like he might shed tears.

"You had it coming! Now get OUT of here before I… use Aura Sphere on you!" Leaf couldn't think of a better threat at the moment. But, it didn't really matter anyway, because the Pokédork was too busy whining to listen.

"I can't believe you'd be so mean to me! I'm going away!" the Pokédork was beside himself and decided to leave.

"What an irritant," Leaf sighed and sent Knuckles back out after the dork was long gone. The poor Pokémon collapsed onto the couch beside his trainer and breathed deeply, content to finally be free of his bout with claustrophobia.

"So… what were we talkin' about before that freak showed up?" Leaf asked Riley.

"Nothing," Riley said quickly, hoping that she had forgotten all about it by now.

"Huh… well, maybe I'll think of it later," Leaf shrugged and stroked her Lucario.

Not much later, the attendant called them over, and they were led to an impressive hallway. A very proper-looking man was waiting for them.

"Good day. My name is Darach," he bowed politely.

"Hi!" Leaf wasn't the type to be 'proper'. And Riley just nodded at him.

"Oh? I apologize, but I must ask you to recall your Pokémon," Darach informed them once he noticed Knuckles, "Lady Caitlin would not approve."

"Okay, sure," Leaf recalled him.

"As customary, I present you with ten CP to start with," Darach bowed his head and held out ten little slips of paper for them to take.

"Thanks," Riley slipped them into his pocket.

"Are you ready to begin?" Darach asked politely.

"Definitely!" Leaf grinned.

"Then right this way," Darach indicated the door on the right. The two trainers headed through the door which led to a lavish room practically sparkling with expensive elegance. No, wait… it really _was _sparkling…!

"How do they get the place to sparkle so much?" Leaf whispered to Riley.

"Magic," Riley answered dryly.

"Yup, that has it be it," Leaf agreed with a smile. She looked up and noticed a frail looking girl looking down at them from a throne set above the battle arena. Leaf probably wouldn't have noticed her if she hadn't anything else to do. Before she had a chance to ask anything, their challengers were walking up, ready for battle.

"Beware the ferocity of my Pokémon!" the Dragon Tamer announced.

"You can call me Charmy if you want to," a young Reporter beamed.

"Attack, Ditto!" The Dragon Tamer commanded.

"Come out, Combee!" Reporter Charmy sang out.

"Go, Metagross!" Riley cried.

"Okay, come on out, Blathers!" Leaf hoped she hadn't just made a grave mistake here.

"Hey, lady!" Blathers flew up to Lady Caitlin and started making faces at her. Lady Caitlin scowled slightly.

"CHATOT! Get DOWN here!" Leaf raged.

"Ditto! Shapeshift- I mean, Transform!" the Dragon Tamer cried. His Ditto transformed into Metagross. Because everyone knows he wouldn't want to transform into Chatot…

"Iron Defense, Metagross!" Riley was next.

"META!" Metagross hardened up.

"Use Bug Bite, Combee!" Reporter Charmy cried out. Her Combee flew up to Metagross and gnawed on his head. Metagross yelped in pain.

"Use Chatter on the Combee, Blathers!" Leaf said frantically.

"Beebeebee! WhydobeesALWAYSbuzz?" Blathers sang. Combee writhed in pain from the awful noise.

"Now! Ditto! Use Psychic on that freaky Chatot!" Apparently, the Dragon Tamer was also getting pretty irritated by Blathers' antics.

"Ditto!" Ditto called out in his cute little Ditto voice (even though he now had formidable Metagross body). Pink waves emanating from his massive head collided into Blathers, causing the bird to… cry like a baby.

"Metagross! Use Hammer Arm on Ditto!" Riley knew he needed to act fast. Metagross smashed one of his impressive iron arms into his opponent, causing the Pokémon to faint.

"Return," the Dragon Tamer recalled his Ditto.

"Combee! Use String Shot!" Reporter Charmy ordered.

"EW! You covered me in GUM!" Blathers screamed.

Lady Caitlin frowned slightly. This Chatot was proving to be _rather_ annoying. But it _was_ strong, and she liked to see that.

"Use Chatter again!" Leaf cried.

"Sure thing, sister!" Blathers nodded, "Hey,?"

Combee squeaked in pain, and the poor thing fainted, "Oh no, Combee! Please return!" Reporter Charmy looked disappointed.

"It's up to you now, Charizard!" the Dragon Tamer tossed his next Pokéball.

"Charizard, huh? Should be interesting," Leaf smiled slightly to herself from nostalgia flooding over her. She had faced her friend, Red's Charizard countless times before.

"Today is just not my lucky day," Riley decided to recall Metagross.

"Go Beedrill!" Reporter Charmy cried.

"Yeah, good thinking," Leaf had to agree with Riley. Using Metagross for this battle would be a big mistake.

"Chatot! Fly up into the air!" Leaf said quickly.

"…Coward!" the Dragon Tamer just decided to wait for now since there were no Pokémon for him to attack.

"Come out, Salamence!" Riley sent out his next Pokémon.

"Okay! Beedrill! Use your Poison Jab attack!" Reporter Charmy cried. Beedrill smashed one of his speared arms into Salamence. Unfortunately for Riley, Salamence was poisoned.

"Here comes CHAAAATOT!" Blathers screeched as he flew down to crash into Beedrill, causing the bug type to howl with pain.

"Charizard! Flamethrower!" the Dragon Tamer commanded. Charizard spewed mighty flames at Chatot.

"HALP! MAH TAIL END IS ON FIIIRE!" Blathers shrieked, a small fire visible on his tail feathers.

"Stop,drop,roll! Stop,drop,roll! Stop,drop,roll!" Blathers said frantically as he plummeted to the ground and started rolling around like crazy.

"…Are you okay, Blathers?" Leaf asked after his episode was over.

"Yes!" Blathers sprang up happily.

"So… Salamence, use your Dragon Breath attack on Beedrill!" Riley decided after he was finished being distracted by Chatot.

Beedrill was hit full force by the powerful attack and fainted, "Oh no! Beedrill! …Please return," Reporter Charmy said sadly.

"Okay! Blathers! Use Roost!" Leaf remembered that they didn't heal Pokémon right after the battle here, so she figured she might as well make up for the damage he'd accumulated so far.

"Hah! You'll NEVER get me from up here!" Blathers gloated as he flew up to sit on the railing near the princess. Of course, he had to make faces at Charizard to provoke him further.

"Charizard! Use Flamethrower again!" the Dragon Tamer cried, but Charizard didn't need telling twice. He unleashed a flurry of flames at Chatot, who shrieked and tried to fly away, but failed miserably.

"You almost FRIED the princess!" Chatot exclaimed, "I'm so sorry for this, Princess Peach," Chatot bowed grandly before Lady Caitlin. She just stared at him blankly.

"Salamence! Use Dragon Breath again!" Riley commanded. Salamence winced from the effects of poison, but then quickly performed the attack.

"Charizard! Use Dragon Claw!" the Dragon Tamer ordered. Charizard returned the favor by smashing Salamence with his powerful claws. Unfortunately for Riley, this move was very effective against his dragon type Pokémon.

"Hang in there, Salamence," Riley winced.

"Use Feather Dance, Blathers!" Leaf cried, hoping that she could help out Riley a little here.

"Taste my FEATHERED FURY!" Blathers whipped up a giant flurry of feathers by beating his wings wildly at Charizard. Charizard coughed as the mountains of feathers overtook him.

"Now, Salamence! Use Crunch!" Riley cried. Salamence bit Charizard's wing with his mighty jaws.

"Keep it together, Charizard! Use Dragon Claw again!" The Dragon Tamer ordered. Apparently it was implied that he wanted his Pokémon to attack Salamence, but Charizard instead went for Chatot because the annoying bird kept taunting and driving him crazy.

"Yowch," Blathers managed to get back on his feet after the powerful attack. He was getting pretty tired now.

"You can do it, Blathers!" Leaf encouraged him, "Use Uproar!"

"I HATE BATTLING AGAINST POKéMON THAT ARE BIGGER THAN ME BY A COUNTRY MILE!" Blathers roared.

Charizard groaned in pain. He was reaching his limits now.

"Salamence! Quick! Use Crunch once more!" Riley cried. Thankfully for them, this attack was enough to take down Charizard.

"Return, Charizard!" the Dragon Tamer recalled his Pokémon, "You may have beaten me _this time_, but I will _never_ be ultimately owned!"

"I would have won… if only I had a Mew…" Reporter Charmy sighed.

"DARACH! CP for these trainers at once!" Lady Caitlin called out sharply after Leaf and Riley's opponents left. Leaf jumped; she had almost forgotten that the princess was up there.

Darach swiftly strode up to them, "Lady Caitlin has instructed me to give you twenty CP," he bowed respectfully and handed Riley the slips of paper.

"We can use these to heal our Pokémon," Riley reminded her as they followed Darach out of the room.

"I think we're going to need them," Leaf commented. This was only their first battle here, and it wound up being pretty difficult.

Several battles later…

"Are you ready for your final challenge?" Darach asked Leaf and Riley once they finished healing their Pokémon and whatnot.

"Yup, I think so," Leaf nodded.

"Very well. Then proceed this way," Darach indicated the door on the right, as if they hadn't figured that out by now.

So, Leaf and Riley went into the next room and waited for their opponents. A Psychic girl and a Jogger walked up to stand before them.

"I'm Mae, and my favorite color is purple!" the Psychic informed them.

"Hola! Soy Enrique," the Jogger nodded to them.

"Oh great… I don't know any Spanish…" Leaf groaned, figuring that this dude was going to call out all his attacks in Spanish.

"Me neither," Jogger Enrique shrugged.

"Go Drifloon!" Psychic Mae cried before Leaf even had a chance to think of a response.

"Graveler! It's your turn!" Jogger Enrique said next.

"Here we go, Blathers," Leaf sent out her Chatot.

"Metagross! Get ready!" Riley cried out.

"Drifloon! Use Shadow Ball on Metagross!" Psychic Mae went first. Drifloon charged a dark sphere and hurled it at Metagross, who winced in pain.

"Feather Dance, Blathers!" Leaf cried.

"Do you want me to be a featherless Chatot?" Blathers whined at her, but nonetheless performed the attack.

"Graveler! Use Rock Slide!" Jogger Enrique ordered.

"GRAVEL!" Graveler shouted.

"Watch out for the falling…!" Leaf was expecting tons of rocks to clatter down from nowhere, but was surprised to behold only one rock fall down from the sky, "…rock?"

"Graveler! How many times do we have to work on that before you finally get it right?" the Jogger exclaimed. Graveler looked sheepish.

"Metal Claw, Metagross!" Riley was next. Metagross slashed Graveler with his mighty claws.

"Shadow Ball again, Drifloon!" Psychic Mae cried out.

"Over here~!" Blathers stuck out his tongue and made crazy looking faces at Drifloon all while he fluttered around seemingly everywhere.

"Focus, Drifloon! Don't pay attention to it!" the Psychic girl urged her Pokémon. Drifloon ignored Chatot and shot her sphere at Metagross, knocking him out.

"Well, you tried," Leaf shrugged at Chatot while Riley recalled his Pokémon.

"Use Uproar!" Leaf said next.

"AWWW YEEEAH! HEADBANGERS' PARTY! BRING IT ON!" Blathers shrieked. Both Graveler and Drifloon covered their ears. Or whatever they had that passed for ears.

"Use Swagger, Graveler!" Jogger Enrique called out.

"Who am I? _Where_ am I? This isn't the Guild…" Blathers' eyes were glazed over.

"Go! Salamence!" Riley sent out his next Pokémon.

"Drifloon! Use Ominous Wind!" Psychic Mae said next. Salamence suffered a direct hit.

"Return, Chatot," Leaf figured he wasn't much help in his current state.

"Swagger on Salamence," the Jogger knew Riley wasn't able to switch out Pokémon anymore. Graveler sighed loud enough to tick off Salamence and make him confused.

"Drifloon! Use Ominous Wind again!" Psychic Mae cried. Salamence suffered a direct hit.

"Go! Vegeta!" Leaf sent out her other Pokémon.

"Earthquake!" Jogger Enrique called out. Drifloon and Salamence weren't too badly affected since they were flying types, but Vegeta suffered average damage.

"Salamence! Crunch Drifloon!" Finally Riley had a type advantage. Drifloon fainted from Salamence's critical hit.

"You did well, Drifloon," Psychic Mae returned her Pokémon.

"Use Hydro Pump on Graveler!" Leaf cried. Now Graveler fainted.

"Let's go, Mismagius!" Psychic Mae sent out her next Pokémon since there were no Pokémon on the field for Riley to attack.

"Okay! Use Hydro Pump on Mismagius!" It took Leaf a moment to realize it was her turn once again. Vegeta aimed for Mismagius, but unfortunately, he missed his target.

"Go! Sandslash!" Jogger Enrique sent out his next Pokémon.

"Use Crunch on Mismagius!" Riley ordered. Salamence gnawed on Mismagius' 'hat' hungrily. Mismagius shrieked in pain, but wasn't down for the count just yet.

"Use Magical Leaf, Mismagius!" Psychic Mae cried. Vegeta grunted in pain from the effective attack, but he wasn't down for the count yet either.

"Use Hydro Pump on Sandslash!" Leaf hoped the attack would hit this time. She was getting nervous since the PP on that move was getting low. But, the attack missed once again.

"Sandslash! Use Rock Slide!" the Jogger cried out. Sandslash summoned rocks to fall down from the sky, but…

Once again, the move only produced one falling rock as opposed to the multiple ones the trainer had counted on…

"Why, Sandslash?" the Jogger sighed while Sandslash looked sheepish.

"Well, use Crunch once more, Salamence!" It was Riley's turn once again. This time, Mismagius fainted.

"Just use Surf!" Leaf was tired of dealing with Hydro Pump. Surf was more reliable, and she was certain Salamence could take it. The attack hit both Sandslash and Salamence, but wasn't enough to take down Sandslash just yet.

"Use Gyro Ball, Sandslash!" Jogger Enrique cried. Sandslash unleashed a powerful move straight for Vegeta. The bulky Blastoise took the attack.

"Fly, Salamence," Riley figured Leaf would want to use Surf again, and he wanted Salamence out of the way.

"Good! Now you're clear to use Surf again, Vegeta!" Leaf smirked. After this attack, Sandslash fainted.

"Oh well… I'll try harder next time!" Psychic Mae declared.

"Adios!" Jogger Enrique nodded.

"DARACH! CP for these trainers at once!" Lady Caitlin snapped from her perch.

Darach walked up to them, "Good show. Lady Caitlin has instructed me to give you twenty-five CP," he bowed and handed them over.

"Wow, that was fun!" Leaf grinned.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Man, these chapters are long… but I really don't want to split these up since they focus on each battle area.

By the way, I added some new choices to my poll since we've encountered new characters recently. I'm not sure if people who voted before can vote again, but I'm sure it can't hurt to try.


	53. Chapter 53: Battle Arcade

"So, now we're off to the Battle Arcade, huh?" Leaf mused as she beheld the crazy looking building just ahead of them.

"That's right. And it's just ahead there," Riley nodded.

As soon as they entered the building, Leaf was surprised. The inside reminded her of an arcade! The lighting was dim, and the patterns on the flooring were illuminated by their own glow. The music even reminded her of an arcade.

"Why are we at the arcade?" Leaf asked Riley.

"We're not. It just looks like we are," he assured her.

After they went to register, they decided to wait at a table near the TV. Riley sat across from Leaf and Knuckles with his back to the TV, which was fine for him since he was busy… staring into space. Even though Leaf had a good view of the TV, she was pretty bored as well thanks to the fact that they had some boring nature show on.

Leaf had always hated watching those shows when she was young. It just made her mad because she couldn't go out and catch her own Pokémon yet! It was like holding a carrot in front of her face while she was running on a treadmill! But now that she could catch her own Pokémon, the show seemed pointless to watch. Plus, those narrators were annoying with their ridiculously monotone voices.

So, Leaf wasn't paying too much attention to the show, but she happened to notice that Knuckles was. That was weird in her opinion. What was so great about watching other Pokémon on TV when you're a Pokémon yourself? Leaf looked over at the TV to see a male and female Nidoran innocently chilling out near a river. But then… they started to socialize…

"UGH!" Leaf made a gagging sound and covered Knuckles' eyes with her hand. Why did they have to show that stuff on TV anyway!

"What?" Riley turned around and then wished he hadn't.

"This is even worse than the news channel!" Leaf complained. Then she looked around, hoping to find something else to do, "Don't they have any arcade games we can play here? I mean, come on!"

"Why would they have arcade games?" Riley looked confused.

"Why WOULDN'T they? They're fun!"

"Well…"

Knuckles grunted, his vision still being hindered by Leaf.

"Oh, sorry," Leaf removed her hand, "Well, I've got to find something to do…" she mused and pulled out her music player. She offered an ear bud to Knuckles. He took it and stared at it curiously, unsure as to what this mysterious contraption would do.

"You just hold it near your ear," Leaf explained. Once he did so, Knuckles was surprised to hear beautiful noise coming through the ear bud. Knuckles wanted to dance! This music was the best ever!

"He has good taste in music," Leaf pointed at Knuckles with her thumb.

"Let me hear for a minute…?" Riley asked. Leaf handed him her ear bud, and he was astounded to hear loud guttural screaming coming out of it.

"Are you serious?" Riley looked remotely alarmed.

"What? It's not that bad; you probably just heard the craziest part!" Leaf took her ear piece back.

"…You listen to metal music?"

"This isn't metal, Riley... You sound like such an old man when you say that."

"Leaf. That was metal."

"If you think _that's_ metal, then you seriously need to hear some heavy metal. Now _that_ stuff is crazy…"

Meanwhile, delightful and amazing music was touching Knuckles' soul. He couldn't even pay attention to Leaf and Riley's argument while such wonderful music was dancing in his ears.

"Leaf and Riley?" the battle attendant called.

"Sorry, Knux, party's over," Leaf informed him as she took back her music player. Knuckles did nothing to hide his disappointment.

"Sorry but, no Pokémon are allowed past this point," the attendant nodded toward Knuckles' general direction once they approached her desk.

"Sorry, buddy," Leaf recalled him.

"Please follow me," the attendant let them past her desk into a hallway. Leaf and Riley followed her down the hallway to another room. This room had a large battle arena with several onlookers gathered around it chatting. The small crowd didn't even bother to cease their chatter in the slightest when Leaf and Riley arrived and took their places at one end of the battlefield.

Leaf gazed at the referee standing in the middle of the battlefield and was surprised to recognize a familiar face, "Pokéstalker? What are YOU doing here?"

"What are you talking about? What in the world is a Pokéstalker?" the man looked at her like she was crazy.

"You can't fool me! I know who you are!" Leaf insisted.

"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't know who you are referring to… My name is Larry," the man adjusted his sunglasses with a slightly sinister smirk forming on his lips.

"Do you really think you can just wear some different outfit, call yourself some random name, and expect me to believe it's not you?" Leaf fumed.

"Oh look! It's time for the battle to start! No more questions from you today, ma'am!" the Pokéstalker hurried to the side of the battlefield, "It's time for Game Number One! Are you ready, folks?" he cried out loudly. The crowd cheered.

"Oooookay! Then here comes our first set of battlers!" 'Larry' said grandly.

Two men walked up to the other end of the battlefield, "ZDSKRF…!" one of them said in a robotic monotonous voice.

Leaf could only gawk. What…?

"I am Pokémon Prime!" the other declared in a very robotic voice, "We. Are. Androids. Designed. To. Provide. An. Optimal. Battling. Experience…"

"GMONDGOMNDF…!" the other android cried.

"I. Love. To. Battle?" Pokémon Prime tried.

"Now it's time for our two challengers to hit the buzzer to determine which event we'll have for this round! Where it will stop, no one knows!" the Pokéstalker shouted as the screen behind him lit up to reveal a computerized image of choices.

"You want to hit the buzzer?" Riley asked Leaf.

"Uh, sure," Leaf walked up to the buzzer nearby and struck it when the outline on the screen was over a 'black team gets a free berry' panel. That was the only one that would actually do something in their favor.

"So then! The board has spoken! This battle will commence with Leaf and Riley's Pokémon receiving a Sitrus Berry!"

"Nice," Riley was impressed. There were a lot of bad choices for their team up there, but Leaf still managed to hit a good one.

"I think I played too many video games as a kid," Leaf shrugged with a smile.

"Well then, come out, Pinsir!" Riley sent out his first Pokémon eager to begin.

"Go, Popuri!" Leaf called out.

"Battle! Porygon!" Pokémon Prime ordered.

"BMNDOEMVEF!" the other android sent out his Porygon as well.

"Well, start with Sing, Popuri!" Leaf decided to go first. Swablu sang her enchanting melody, and Pokémon Prime's Porygon fell asleep.

"Porygon… Please. Wake. Up. Please. Wake. Up," Pokémon Prime urged in his Pokémon in a very robotic way.

"Pinsir! Use Submission!" Riley went next. His Pinsir grabbed ZDSKRF's Porygon by the neck and pounded on his head. When Pinsir finally let go, Porygon slumped to the ground and fainted.

"BMOEWNVORGF!" ZDSKRF shouted in robotic fury and then recalled his Pokémon.

"Use Fly!" Leaf directed her Swablu. Popuri took to the skies, or rather, the ceiling.

"Wake. Up. Porygon. Wake. Up," Pokémon Prime continued his chant.

"Submission once more!" Riley directed. Pinsir picked up the sleeping Porygon and pounded it into submission. Riley's Pokémon were mean.

"Oh. No! My. Pokémon. Has. Fainted," Pokémon Prime recalled his Porygon.

"GBMOEGJEF!" ZDSKRF sent out his next Pokémon which turned out to be a Porygon2.

"Fly back down!" Leaf cried and her Swablu soared down to crash into Porygon2. Porygon2 suffered a significant amount of damage.

"Come. Out. Porygon-Z!" Pokémon Prime cried out.

"Try using Submission again!" Riley called out. Pinsir ran up to Porygon2 to grind him into the earth, but the duck-looking Pokémon was quick to dodge and escape the attack unscathed.

"MOSMOFEOGEF!" ZDSKRF screamed. Porygon2 used a Psybeam attack on Pinsir, calling the bug type to howl in pain.

"Use Dragon Pulse, Popuri!" Leaf commanded. Popuri shot a thin, focused, purple beam at Porygon2, but it wasn't enough to take him down.

"Porygon-Z! Use. Your. Tri. Attack," Pokémon Prime directed. A ray of fire, ice, and electricity was fired at Pinsir, causing him to growl angrily. But then, Pinsir remembered his free Sitrus Berry and decided to eat the tasty treat now.

"Pinsir! Use Thrash!" Riley cried. Pinsir flew into a rage and madly and brutally attacked Porygon2, causing it to faint.

"Dang, Riley…" Leaf looked a bit frightened by Pinsir's ferocity. And to think she had actually hugged that Pokémon before…

"What? It's a valid move," Riley looked at her like there was nothing to worry about, "You don't have to worry about Swablu; he won't attack her."

"Thank God for that…" Leaf glanced uneasily at Pinsir, who was still thrashing around even though Porygon2 had been recalled by now.

"Okay… I guess it's my turn now," Leaf remembered, "Use Mirror Move!"

Popuri shot out a nice tri attack at Porygon-Z, but it clearly wasn't enough to take it down.

"Use. Psybeam. On. Pinsir!" Pokémon Prime declared. His Porygon-Z unleashed a spiraling pink beam at Pinsir, who gave out an angry roar.

"Keep Thrashing," Riley didn't need to say it twice. Pinsir crashed and smashed into Porygon-Z mercilessly.

"Okay… Dragon Pulse again," Leaf was next. Popuri shot another Dragon Pulse at her opponent.

"Use. Another. Psybeam," Pokémon Prime ordered. This time, Pinsir fainted.

"You did well. Return," Riley nodded.

"Sing!" Leaf smiled. Popuri sang a beautiful melody and the Porygon-Z fell asleep.

"Your turn, Rukario," Riley let out his next choice.

"Wake. Up. Porygon-Z. Wake. Up," Pokémon Prime was chanting again.

"Okay, use Dragon Pulse," Leaf directed. This attack drew Porygon-Z very close to his limits…

"Rukario! Aura Sphere!" Riley cried. Porygon-Z was defeated.

"This. Battle. Was. Honorable… I. Mean. Fun," Pokémon Prime nodded after he recalled his Pokémon.

"BMEDOGEOGNGF!" ZDSKRF shouted.

"Well! Wasn't that just a spectacular battle!" The Pokéstalker cried out after Leaf and Riley's opponents left.

"Your Pokémon will be fully healed," the attendant swiftly returned to take their pokéballs and use a magical spell on them. In a matter of seconds, she was finished and left as quickly as she came.

"Well… that was easy," Leaf remarked.

Several battles later…

Leaf and Riley were ready to face their last set of opponents. This time, a Psychic boy and a cowboy approached them for battle.

"Now it's time for Game Number Seven! Are you ready?" Pokéstalker shouted. The crowd was still pretty excited and lively.

"Time to hit the buzzer already!" 'Larry' announced.

"Go for it," Riley nodded at Leaf. She was definitely the best when it came to this.

There were plenty of good choices for them up there, but Leaf decided to strike once it landed on a 'red team starts with less health' panel.

"And there you have it, folks! The board has spoken! This battle will commence with the red team's Pokémon already damaged!"

"Howdy! The name's Ami Chalap," the cowboy said jovially.

"Ryan," the young Psychic boy said timidly.

"'Kay, then! Go Rapidash!" Cowboy Ami sent out his first Pokémon.

"Go, Alakazam!" Psychic Ryan called out.

"Let's go, Popuri!" Leaf cried.

"Pinsir, go!" Riley called.

"Use Sing on Rapidash!" Leaf instructed her Pokémon. A fire type like Rapidash could really do some damage on Pinsir, and he was needed to take down Alakazam.

Popuri sang a beautiful melody that lulled Rapidash to sleep.

"Well, gosh darnit!" the cowboy shook his head.

"Use X-Scissor!" Riley cried out. Pinsir crunched Alakazam in his pincers in an impressive display of his bug powers. Alakazam could only grimace.

"Use Recover!" Psychic Ryan ordered. Alakazam waved his spoons around and magically regained some health.

"Dragon Pulse!" Leaf pointed at Alakazam. Her little bird Pokémon shot a focused, purple beam at her opponent resulting in acceptable damage.

"Now, come on, Rapidash," Cowboy Ami urged, but Rapidash was sound asleep.

"X-Scissor again!" Riley urged. Pinsir attacked Alakazam once again, and it was almost like time had repeated itself once more.

"Future Sight!" the Psychic boy urged. Alakazam waved his arms around, but no attack was performed as of yet.

"Dragon Pulse again!" Leaf ordered. And this time, Alakazam fainted.

"Rapidash? Are you awake yet?" Cowboy Ami asked. No answer.

"Use Submission," Riley cried. Pinsir started pounding around on the sleeping Rapidash with moderate effectiveness.

"Go! Natu!" the psychic sent out his next Pokémon.

"Aww! He's so cute!" Leaf gushed at the baby bird.

"…Leaf? It's your turn," Riley reminded her since she obviously wasn't paying much attention at the moment.

"Oh, right! Use your Steel Wing attack!" Leaf commanded. Popuri sliced Natu with her iron-clad wings. It was moderately effective.

"Finally! Yer awake!" the cowboy was more than happy when his Rapidash woke up, "Use Fire Blast on that Pinsir!" Rapidash sent a fiery star shaped attack straight for Pinsir.

Pinsir dodged most of the attack, but received a nasty burn on one of his pincers, "Hang in there, Pinsir, and use Thrash!" Riley called out.

Pinsir started thrashing around and managed to hurt Natu pretty badly.

"Use Ominous Wind, Natu!" Psychic Ryan cried. Natu summoned dark and nasty winds of ghostly energy. This energy headed straight for Pinsir and was moderately effective.

"Use Sing on Rapidash again!" Leaf directed her Pokémon.

"Aw! Again? My Rapidash just woke up!" the cowboy complained.

"Keep Thrashing Pinsir!" Riley encouraged. But, did his Pokémon really need any encouragement? Not really.

Pinsir smashed and thrashed into the tiny Natu, and the little bird squawked in pain.

"Hang in there, Natu!" the Psychic urged. Then suddenly, the effects of Future Sight slammed into Popuri, causing her to suffer a lot of damage.

"Hang in there, Popuri!" Leaf urged, "And use Dragon Pulse next!"

Popuri's Dragon Pulse was enough to take down Natu.

"C'mon, Rapidash! You've gotta wake up!" Cowboy Ami groaned.

"Keep Thrashing," Riley nodded. Pinsir slammed and thrashed into the sleeping Rapidash, and it was a wonder how the Pokémon managed to stay asleep after something as brutal as that.

"Okay, use Dragon Pulse again!" Leaf ordered.

"Return, Pinsir," Riley figured it'd be best to recall his Pokémon for now since he became confused from the exhaustion that set in after such a wild move.

"Keep using Dragon Pulse!" Leaf urged.

"Come on out, Rukario," Riley sent out his other Pokémon.

"Steel Wing!" Leaf called out. This attack was enough to knock out Rapidash.

"Return," Cowboy Ami grunted, "Now come out, Ponyta!"

"Use Close Combat," Riley ordered. Rukario delivered Ponyta a series of punches and kicks, but it wasn't enough to take it down.

"Steel Wing again!" Leaf cried. But Popuri's attack missed her target.

"Use Flare Blitz, Ponyta!" Cowboy Ami cried. Ponyta charged at Rukario, her entire body cloaked in fire. The move was very effective, and it even caused Rukario to flinch. But thanks to his Steadfast ability, his speed was raised.

"Finish with Dragon Pulse!" Leaf cried. With this last attack, Ponyta fainted.

"With more training, I know I will succeed," Psychic Ryan informed them.

"Next time we'll be ready for you," Cowboy Ami nodded.

"And there you have it, folks!" the Pokéstalker cried after the challengers left, "Leaf and Riley completed their challenge! And they receive three BP!"

The crowd cheered happily.

"Make sure you continue to support the Battle Arcade! You'll always find amazing battles here!"

"That was fun," Leaf grinned at Riley.

oOoOoOo

Notes: ZDSKRF and Pokémon Prime, sorry for making you guys robots… I guess your usernames kinda reminded me of robots and/or transformers for some reason.

Also, I wanted to point out that I don't actually know all of the genders of my reviewers out there, so don't get mad at me if I randomly assign you a gender, and it turns out to be wrong. Just let me know if you want to me to change it.

Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! And Happy Halloween!

Speaking of Halloween, I decided to be Maylene this year. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go kick some Lucario tail…


	54. Chapter 54: Clowns are Crazy

"So… now where are we going?" Leaf wondered as she and her friends headed up to a large, blue building.

"This is the Battle Factory. It's where we use rented Pokémon, remember?" Riley answered.

"Rented Pokémon…" Leaf grunted in an undertone. She was looking forward to this one the least…

Much like his Trainer, Knuckles' posture slumped slightly at the news. He was _not _looking forward to sitting around in his Pokéball the entire time…

Once the three of them entered the building, they were severely blown by a strong fan overhead.

"Whoa, what was that for?" Leaf quickly grabbed her hat in the fear that she'd lose it.

Once she had recovered reasonably enough, she took in her surroundings. The place turned out to be pretty expansive yet plain, and the music was… weird. There were a lot of people here, and it didn't look like they had enough chairs to accommodate everyone. In fact, it looked like there weren't any chairs at all.

"Well, let's get signed up," Riley started for the desks in the back of the room.

Leaf made to follow him, but stopped short when she noticed a familiar face… a face that she had never really wanted to see again…

"Aaaugh! Don't move, Riley!" she cried out frantically, figuring it'd be better to hide behind him as opposed to Knuckles since he was much taller.

"W-what? What is it?" He froze in place awkwardly, looking extremely confused.

"It's one of those creepy clowns! You know, from Jubilife City!" Leaf whispered loudly.

"…Is that all?" And here he had thought she had spotted an_ actual_ threat… "So… what about it? Are you afraid of clowns?"

"No! It's just- they never leave me alone!"

"…So what are we going to do then? We can't just stand here all day long…"

Leaf looked thoughtful for a few seconds, but then an idea struck her. "I've got it! Quick! Let me borrow your hat for a minute!"

"…My hat? Why?"

"Then they won't know it's me!"

"Are you…? Serious?"

"Just give it to me! Please!"

"Fine," Riley grunted and handed over his beloved hat.

"Aha!" Leaf grinned triumphantly the moment she stepped out from behind Riley, donning his mysterious hat with great pride. "Now _no one_ will be able to know it's me!"

"Well, here you go, Knuckles!" She then tossed her hat on her Lucario's head, much to his displeasure.

"Man, now I know why you like to wear this so much…" she mused as she pulled the hat down low over her eyes. It was a little big for her head, but it certainly worked well enough to suit her purposes. "I feel so cool wearing this!"

"I just hope you plan on giving it back sometime soon…" Riley sighed, running a hand through his hair… where his hat had once been.

Feeling much more confident now, Leaf led the way to the sign up desks, but…

"Well, howdy-do, young trainers!"

Apparently the clown had decided to come up to them anyway.

"Sorry, can't stop to chat… We're kinda busy…" Leaf made certain to hide her face with the hat as she gruffly answered the clown in the lowest voice she could muster.

"Oh no, no, no! I have something important and wise to say here, and you two people must listen! Yes, you must!" the clown declared, waggling his finger at them.

"Well then, what do you have to say? Let's hear it." Riley spoke up, apparently deciding to humor the goofy clown even though Leaf scowled at him for it.

"This!" the clown extended his arms grandly, "This is the most wondrous of all places! The Battle Factory!"

Leaf groaned loudly.

"Now, now young lady! You would do well to have some manners! Now, have you trained _all _types of Pokémon?"

Leaf opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by the clown answering his own question, "No, no! Not likely you do! That is why this place exists! You can challenge with _nothing_! And you never know what type of Pokémon you'll encounter here! And of course, you… uh… Oh shoot… I forgot my rhyme… Hold on a second… I'll remember it soon… Here it comes…! Soon…! Once I remember… again…"

"…I don't care about your stupid rhyme! Just go away already!" Leaf exclaimed. She finally had it!

"_My_! How_ rude_ you are!" the clown huffed, placing his arms importantly upon his hips. But then he paused, squinting and peering down at her face. "Wait a second here… Are you…"

Leaf froze, her expression stuck in a sheepish sort of grin. "I'm, uh… not… anyone _you _would know… Yeah, no… No way! You know?"

He continued to stare, practically searching her very soul by this point. "No… it can't be…! No… IT _IS_! YOU'RE THAT GIRL WHO BLEW ME OFF IN JUBILIFE CITY!"

"I TOLD you they were crazy!" She screamed at Riley.

"ROAR!" the clown bellowed as he suddenly lunged for Leaf.

She wasn't quite expecting this sort of attack, so luckily for her, Riley managed to step in the way and block the savage clown's path.

"Calm down! Honestly, what has she ever done to you? You're being absolutely ridiculous!" Riley exclaimed, holding out both his arms and moving about constantly to shield his friend from the raging clown.

Apparently he had the idea that crazed clowns were open to reason…

"She REFUSES to listen to the _greatness_ of the Pokétch! And plus, I'm a _clown_, you idiot! I'm SUPPOSED to be ridiculous! Now get OUT of my way!" the mad clown shrieked. He kept trying to get past him to Leaf, but Riley wasn't having any of that.

"Who cares about the Pokétch? Seriously, you need to get a grip!" Leaf cried. She kept hiding behind Riley because it really seemed to be working. But she couldn't help but wonder where Knuckles had went…

"The Pokétch is the most _amazing_ device in the world, and it deserves your… reeesp…ect…"

The clown suddenly slumped to the ground, as if he had been knocked unconscious.

And there stood Knuckles, dramatically twirling his bone until it disappeared in a flash of light.

"Knuckles… Normally, I'd be pretty angry at you for attacking a person but… I think this time he was kind of asking for it. So…" Leaf started to turn away, "let's just pretend this never happened."

"Shouldn't we… help him?" Riley gazed down at the unconscious clown with a stunned look on his face.

"No, he'll be fine."

Leaf started for the sign in desk. While the two trainers were signing up, many of the other trainers in the area seemed to not find the fact that there was an unconscious clown on the floor in the middle of the room strange in the slightest. In fact, several newcomers even stepped over the clown without a second thought as they made their way to sign up. Must be a normal part of everyday life for the trainers of Sinnoh…

"Well, I guess we just have to sit on the floor," Leaf mused aloud after they had signed up for their battles. They were told it'd be a long wait, and she didn't really have the desire to stand around on her feet the entire time.

"Suppose so," Riley agreed and sat down with his back leaning against the wall.

"The music they have here is driving me crazy…" Leaf mumbled after she took a seat beside him on the floor, "I need to listen to some _real _stuff…" she continued as she dug around in her bag.

Knuckles sat beside her with an annoyed look on his face. Now he was going to have to wait around forever just to _not_ participate in any of the fighting… But his ears pricked at that last sentence, and he watched Leaf expectantly.

Riley was just about to let his mind wander aimlessly when he suddenly noticed something strange about her bag. "Wait a second! There's an odd aura emanating from that! What do you have in there?"

"What? What aura? Where?" Leaf cried, frantically pushing her bag away as if she had suddenly heard that it was infected with some kind of disease. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing's wrong, but this aura is definitely one of the strangest I've ever felt in quite a while…" Riley informed her as he gazed at the open bag, "May I?" he asked politely as he gestured toward it.

"Uh, yeah, sure," she nodded.

Knuckles, for his part, proceeded to chew on Leaf's hat. He already knew what was up with that aura.

Riley sifted through the contents of the bag until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out the peculiar orb that Leaf had found a long while ago, back when she had followed Mesprit into that strange cave.

"Oh that thing? Yeah, I found that a long time ago… Knuckles thought it had a weird aura too, but I really have no idea what's up with it…"

"…Do you know what this is?" Riley gazed at it in awe.

"Uh… no…" Leaf admitted, "Do you?"

"This is the Griseous Orb… I thought it was only legend… I remember the stories my parents used to tell me… This orb was said to have been used to summon Giratina in ancient times… I didn't think it actually existed…"

"Uh, sorry, but what the heck is a Giratina?"

"Giratina is a legendary Pokémon spoken of in myths… up until now I assumed it wasn't even real… But seeing this makes me wonder… Does Giratina truly exist? And its domain, the Distortion World? Might it be an actual place…?"

"The Distortion World?" she repeated. "What's that?"

"Giratina is rumored to have been banished there." he answered softly. "Supposedly for being too violent."

"Huh…" Leaf leaned back, soaking this all in. "Well, that sounds pretty… weird. Man, Riley, what kind of fairy tales did your parents tell you, anyway?"

He ignored that last comment and suddenly turned to her with a somewhat urgent look on his face, "Where did you find this?"

"I found it in the middle of some freaky cave…" she explained. "It was just lying there on the ground next to some creepy portal-looking-type-thing. I definitely didn't see any legendary Pokémon there-well, unless you count Mesprit… She's the one who led me there in the first place…"

"A portal?" Riley looked surprised, "Could you tell where it led to?"

"Well no, but I could tell it was all dark, black, and creepy… like it led to the depths of some kind of infinite abyss or something… or maybe something even worse. It made chills run down my spine, seriously."

"Hmm…" Riley stared at the orb in his hands thoughtfully, "…You'll have to show me this cave one day…"

"Are you sure you really want to go there? It was one of the creepiest and strangest places I've ever been to, for sure…"

"Maybe…" Riley smiled and carefully set the orb back into her bag, "We'll see."

"HOW DARE YOU HAVE YOUR POKÉMON ATTACK ME!" A voice boomed.

Leaf looked up to see the crazed clown back on his feet and heading straight for them.

Knuckles started to snarl. Feeling a bit afraid, the clown faltered and eventually decided to… run away screaming. He tripped on his own clown shoes several times in his pathetic attempt at fleeing, but he still managed to get away since… Knuckles wasn't even chasing him anyway.

"Ew, Knuckles, what did you do to my hat?" Leaf cried out. Clearly, the clown's fate wasn't of much concern to her anymore. "Gross! It's covered in Lucario drool!" she exclaimed and frantically wiped it off on him.

Knuckles merely shrugged. It smelled kind of good, so who could really blame him for wanting a nibble or two? It didn't exactly taste great, but hey… he was hungry.

After all that was over with, Leaf suddenly realized that she was still wearing Riley's hat. "Oh, yeah! Here you go, Riley… I don't think I need this anymore. Thanks for letting me borrow it for a while." she nodded, handing it back so that she could wear her own hat again.

"Much better…" Riley nodded before placing his hat back on his head.

"You really love that hat, don't you?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Not as much as Blathers does." he teased back, much to her surprise.

oOoOoOo

"Master Cyrus… I'm pleased to present you with the Lustrous Orb…" Commander Mars said softly, bowing respectfully before her superior.

"Good work, Mars." Cyrus nodded at her, a pleased smirk forming on his face. "Did you run into much trouble in bringing this to me?"

"Not much, really!" she gloated. "Nothing I couldn't easily handle on my own!"

"Good…" Cyrus turned to the woman on his left. "And how is the Pokémon Hunter faring as of late?"

"Not so well…" Jupiter replied with a slight sneer. "She still hasn't captured Mesprit, and she lost all bearings regarding Azelf… I think it's only a matter of time before the woman fails, if you ask me."

"Now, now," Cyrus shook his head ever so slightly, "No need to be so cynical, my dear Jupiter. This bounty hunter is renowned throughout all of Sinnoh; she _will_ not fail us."

"It's only a matter of time isn't it, Master Cyrus?" Mars added, eager to one up her comrade.

Jupiter merely sent her a dirty look without saying anything.

"Time…" Cyrus mused quietly, ignoring them both, "…What role does time play when you are master of all worlds…?"

"Sir?" Saturn spoke up, looking vaguely confused.

"Saturn," Cyrus snapped out of his musings and turned to face him, "Now it is your turn… Bring to me the Adamant Orb…"

"As you wish…" Saturn bowed and took his leave.

oOoOoOo

Leaf was just about to doze off where she sat when…

"Riley and Leaf? We're ready for you now!" an attendant called out.

"Alright!" Leaf perked right back up. "Sorry, Knux, but it's time to get back into the Pokéball for now…"

Knuckles groaned unpleasantly as he was sucked inside his Pokéball. After that, Leaf and Riley headed back up to the sign in desk, where the attendant was waiting for them. Once there, they were led into a small hallway where a lady in a crisp, white lab coat could be seen standing before a large door.

"Hello," she nodded curtly, "You can expect to see Poliwag, Horsea, Misdreavus, and Shuppet. Might I suggest choosing Pokémon after careful consideration?"

"Okay…" Leaf wasn't certain if she was truly expected to answer the question or not.

"Over here…" Riley indicated a little conveyor belt nearby that slowly rolled along to reveal several Pokéballs.

"So, what do we have here?" she asked lightly, reading the small screens below the conveyor belt. Apparently, these Pokéballs contained a Grimer, Gible, Charmander, Riolu, Squirtle, and Yanma respectively.

"Awww! They have a Squirtle _and_ a Riolu!" she gushed. "I _have_ to pick them!"

"Hold on, Leaf," Riley reasoned, "You haven't even checked what moves they have."

"You can do that?"

"See?" Riley tapped the 'next' button on the screen to reveal the Squirtle's moves. And apparently, this little guy had some pretty crappy moves.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Leaf groaned._ Who _on earth decided to teach this Squirtle such stupid moves?

"Look! This Grimer knows Sludge Bomb!" he pointed out. "One of us should definitely take that one."

"No way!" she suddenly exclaimed, "I am _not_ taking a stinky puddle of sludge into battle with me! I _refuse_ to!"

"Fine… then I'll take it," Riley shrugged.

After a long, internal debate and seemingly endless musings, Leaf ultimately decided to take the Squirtle and Riolu, (their moves were bad, but the other Pokémon weren't much better anyway) while Riley grabbed the Grimer and Yanma.

"Head inside whenever you're ready," the lady in the lab coat nodded.

Leaf and Riley walked into the next room. It held a large arena, pure and simple. No crowds, no distractions. Which was great… since Leaf knew she'd have a hard enough challenge to contend with here…

oOoOoOo

Notes: Eh, I was going to make this chapter longer, but I changed my mind. I've got a nice ending planned for the next chapter, so I think it'll work out.


	55. Chapter 55: Battle Factory

Shortly after Leaf and Riley took their places at the battle arena, two opponents made their way up to them.

"Watashi wa Funanori Kawaii desu!" the first exclaimed.

"Just 'cause I'm emo doesn't mean I'm not huggable!" the other nodded.

"Tattsuu itte kudasai!" Funanori Kawaii cried and sent out a Horsea.

"Misdreavus, come out!" the emo sent out her Pokémon as well.

"Okay, let's go, Squirtle!" Leaf released hers next.

"Grimer! Go!" Riley nodded.

"Tattsuu! Shiomizu!" Funanori Kawaii ordered. Her Horsea performed a brilliant Brine attack which blasted into Grimer with strong watery force.

"Use Water Pulse on Misdreavus!" Leaf ordered her Squirtle. Squirtle nodded and opened his mouth to unleash pulsating water at his opponent with average damage.

"Okay, Misdreavus! Use Payback!" her trainer ordered. Misdreavus slammed dark energies into Squirtle. The attack's power was doubled since Misdreavus had been attacked by him earlier.

"Squirtle…!" Squirtle moaned. Clearly, he was not accustomed to battle.

"Hang in there, Squirtle! You can do it!" Leaf encouraged, suddenly strongly reminded of being a novice trainer once again…

"Grimer! Use Sludge Bomb!" Riley instructed. Grimer pulled off some of his own slimy sludge and tossed it at Misdreavus. The poor ghost type coughed and sneezed from the nasty smells.

"Haidoro Ponpu!" Funanori Kawaii ordered. Her Horsea performed a powerful Hydro Pump attack straight for Squirtle.

"Look out, Squirtle!" Leaf cried frantically. But unfortunately, this just caused Squirtle to freak out even more and forget to dodge the attack. As a result, the poor Pokémon fainted.

"Go Riolu," Leaf sent out her next Pokémon instead of wasting her time complaining.

"Misdreavus! Use Mean Look!" the emo ordered. Misdreavus glared at Grimer in a menacing way, but it didn't really matter since he wasn't running away anyway…

"Use Sludge Bomb again!" Riley directed. This time, Misdreavus fainted.

"Looks look Grimer was an asset after all," Riley pointed out to Leaf. She just rolled her eyes.

"Haidoro Ponpu!" Funanori Kawaii cried out again. Grimer was more on top of things and managed to dodge the attack.

"Okay! Riolu, use Force Palm!" Leaf was next. Riolu used a moderately effective attack on the stubborn Horsea.

"Come out, Shuppet!" the emo sent out her next Pokémon.

"Whoa, haunted tissue!" Leaf exclaimed when she saw the new Pokémon. Shuppet just let his eyes glow in many different funky colors in response.

"Use Fling!" Riley exclaimed. Grimer pulled out an iron ball from the depths of his own sludge and hurled it at Shuppet. The haunted tissue was clocked right in the head and sent reeling from the super effective attack.

"Oh no! …Return," the emo groaned when she noticed her Pokémon had fainted.

"Tatsumaki!" Funanori Kawaii cried. Her Horsea attacked both Riley and Leaf's Pokémon with a powerful Twister attack.

"Counter!" Leaf directed. Riolu's attack power was doubled since he was already attacked by Horsea in this round.

"Sludge Bomb!" Riley went next. And now, Horsea had fainted.

"Nyoromo! Itte kudosai!" Funanori Kawaii sent out her Poliwag next.

"Quick Attack?" Leaf was tired of using Force Palm.

"Sludge Bomb," Riley nodded.

"Maddo Shyotto!" Funanori cried out. Her Poliwag used an ultra-effective Mud Shot attack on Grimer, causing him to faint.

"Now it's time for Yanma," Riley sent out his next Pokémon after he recalled Grimer.

"Haidoro Ponpu!" Funanori cried. Another Hydro Pump attack.

"Force Palm!" Leaf ordered.

"Wing attack should do it," Riley directed. And he was right; Poliwag fainted.

"Watashi wa genki desu…" Funanori Kawaii sighed as she tried to make the best of things.

"We'll get you next time," the emo smirked slightly.

Several battles later…

Leaf and Riley were ready to face their last set of opponents. They decided to keep the Pokémon they had since the beginning for the sake of pride… or something like that.

But honestly, Leaf was pretty surprised they had managed to make it this far. They had had some close calls.

"You can call me Akira," their first opponent smirked.

"I'm Amy-chan!" a young school girl grinned.

"Go Totodile!" Akira cried.

"Go Skitty!" Amy called out.

"Here we go, Squirtle," Leaf tried not to sigh.

"Grimer! Go!" Riley added.

"Totodile! Use Aqua Tail!" Akira ordered her Pokémon. Totodile slammed his watery tail into Squirtle but it wasn't very effective. But that didn't really matter because Squirtle was already scared out of his little mind.

"Keep it together, Squirtle! And use Water Pulse on that Skitty!"

Squirtle managed to comply and soaked the Skitty, much to the sweet little kitty's dismay.

"Double Slap!" Amy ordered. Skitty started slapping Squirtle senseless, causing the little turtle to squeal in pain.

Leaf groaned inwardly. How she wished she could have her Lucario smash that pathetic Skitty into the ground right now…

"Sludge Bomb, Grimer!" Riley's Pokémon came to Squirtle's rescue. But Skitty wasn't down for the count yet.

"Ice Fang, Totodile!" Akira cried. Totodile started gnawing on Squirtle's shell with his icy jaws. Squirtle was crying now because he was not only being attacked by Totodile, but he was also still being slapped around by Skitty.

"Squirtle! Just use Protect or something!" Leaf exclaimed. Squirtle hid into his shell which now cast a greenish glow.

"Use Charm, Skitty!" Amy called out. Skitty winked at Grimer, but he was too dense to get what she was hinting at. Apparently, he was more into fighting than girls…

"Mud Slap!" Riley was next. Grimer grabbed up some mud (from somewhere) and slapped Skitty with it. The poor kitten fainted.

"Aqua Tail on Grimer!" Akira directed.

"Rapid Spin!" Leaf ordered. Squirtle spun into Totodile causing minor damage.

"Go Teddiursa!" Amy cried.

"Sludge Bomb again!" Riley ordered Grimer. The sludge Pokémon attacked Teddiursa with a fair amount of damage.

"Totodile! Use Slash!" Akira called. After this attack, Squirtle fainted.

"Go Riolu!" Leaf cried after recalling Squirtle.

"Use Thrash, Teddiursa!" Amy commanded. Who'd ever expect such a tiny and cute looking Pokémon to thrash around like some kind of crazed monster?

Certainly not Leaf. She balked and stared blankly. A disturbing sight indeed.

"Use Fling!" Riley was next. Grimer tossed his iron ball at the raging Teddiursa. The little bear shrieked for a moment, but then went back to thrashing around.

"You use Thrash too!" Akira ordered. Now her Totodile was thrashing around like crazy.

"Riolu! Use Force Palm!" Leaf cried. It was a critical hit, and Teddiursa fainted from the super effective attack.

"Yay! Riolu!" Leaf cheered. Riolu just smirked a little.

Now it was Riley's turn, "Use Sludge Bomb!"

"Hang in there, Totodile! And keep using Thrash!" Akira urged.

"Another Force Palm should do it!" Leaf cried. And it did.

"Now come out, Croconaw!" Akira cried.

"Force Palm!" Leaf couldn't really think of a better move.

"Sludge Bomb!" Riley couldn't either.

"Hydro Pump!" Akira's Croconaw hit Grimer hard, and the Pokémon fainted.

"Force Palm!" Somehow Leaf got lucky with another critical hit, so Croconaw fainted.

"Driving boats is way more fun than driving cars," Akira stated before leaving.

"Uxie is so ugly!" Amy exclaimed.

After all that was over with, Leaf and Riley left the arena and headed outside for the next battle facility.

"It's getting dark," Leaf commented once they left the building. Not a second afterward, Knuckles popped out of his Pokéball on his own. Leaf was pretty used to that by now, so she didn't even give it a second thought, "You think we still have time for this last one?"

"I think so," Riley replied, "There's just a bunch of clouds heading in; this place doesn't get dark until pretty late at night."

"If you say so," Leaf shrugged as they headed up the stairs, "So anyway, what's this place called again? You said it was your favorite?"

"That's right," Riley nodded, "And it's called the Battle Tower."

As soon as they stepped inside, Leaf was remotely surprised to encounter an expansive lobby with several walls made of glass. Through some of the glass, she could see elevators occasionally heading up and down throughout the busy area. But best of all, they had some great music playing, and she definitely didn't mind having a battle set to this kind of music!

"Let's go get signed up," Riley nodded to her.

After that long process, the two trainers were forced to wait.

"I'm glad we'll be able to use our own Pokémon again," Leaf was saying as she watched the elevators go past, "Using other people's sucks."

"…Maybe a little," Riley couldn't help but agree.

"What if I had to use your Pokémon, and you had to use mine?"

Riley blinked, "Never heard of a place that does anything like that."

"So?" Leaf waved it off. It was only an idea, "Just imagine if there was! I'd get to use Rukario, and you'd have to battle with Blathers!"

"Oh, so I get the Chatot, huh?" Riley raised an eyebrow, "…Not fair."

"It's totally fair!" Leaf teased, "C'mon, you and Blathers could take on the Elite Four together!"

"Maybe," Riley just chuckled.

"Huh! Well, if it isn't Leaf! Never thought I'd see _you_ here…" a surprisingly familiar voice called out from nearby.

Leaf inhaled slowly as a pained look formed on her face, "…Blue…"

Riley turned around first and blinked at the guy with thick brown hair standing just behind them. Blue paid him no mind just yet; his gaze was focused on Leaf.

"What do you want, Blue?" Leaf spun around to face him, her fists involuntarily clenching, "I told you that I NEVER want to see you again!"

Riley looked at her carefully. Obviously, these two had some history. Why else would Leaf get so worked up all of a sudden?

Riley turned to see Knuckles snarling quietly as he stood his ground. And obviously, it was written all over their auras…

oOoOoOo

Notes: Yes, I decided to make Sailor Kawaii speak Japanese. Why? Well, I was bored...

I've taken a couple Japanese classes before, so I know a little bit of Japanese. But most of this was help from websites because I honestly don't know all that vocabulary. And if there is anyone out there that noticed any mistakes, it'd be greatly appreciated if you could help me out by telling me about it. :)

Oh, and I wasn't sure if real Japanese characters would work on this website, so I just used Romanji.

On a different note entirely, I'm always confused as to what to call the rival kid in LeafGreen… I've heard him called Gary, Blue, AND Green… It's just way too confusing. So, I just decided to call him Blue because that's what they call him in SoulSilver. Just know that he's the Gym Leader in Viridian City in HeartGold and SoulSilver, and he's the rival kid that's related to Prof. Oak. That's really what you need to know.

I've got a new poll up. Believe it or not, Riley's story will wrap up fairly soon, so I want to get prepared for my next side project. I need opinions before I start to get ideas swimmin' around in my head.

As for that last poll, I was really surprised that EVERY SINGLE VOTER wanted Leaf and Riley to get together! Really! I couldn't believe everyone's shooting for the most obvious answer. But hey, I dunno, maybe you guys just think Riley and Leaf would look hot together… Well, we'll see what happens eventually.

Whoa, sorry for this loooooong author's note… See you soon!


	56. Chapter 56: Battle Tower

"Wow, nice way of greeting someone you haven't seen for a long time…" Blue sneered sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Leaf growled, "Now what do you WANT?"

Bored of Leaf's expected reaction, Blue turned to Riley, "So, who's your new boyfriend? No big surprise to me that you've got a new one already. Just how long is this guy going to last anyway?"

"You KNOW that's not how it is! Don't even THINK about spinning this around on me!" Leaf was on her feet now, eyes flashing with rage.

"Chill out," Blue scowled at her, "Are you going to tell me his name or not?"

"The name's Riley," Riley stood and set his arm on Leaf's shoulder to calm her down a little, "And you are?"

"Blue Oak," Blue replied.

"Are you related to Professor Oak?" Riley wondered. Oak wasn't that common of a last name after all.

"Yep, that's my gramps," Blue sniffed rather confidently, "And if you're wonderin' why I'm here in Sinnoh, I guess I don't mind tellin' you that either. Gramps was telling me how much he liked it here, so I decided to check it out for myself. Of course, this place was tops on my list of things to see since I hear there's a bunch of tough trainers here.

"But then I saw Leaf and figured it wasn't worth my time," Blue sneered as he turned to face her.

"Rrragh!" Leaf knocked Riley's arm away and stepped forward, "I'll make you EAT those words! Get ready for a REAL battle!"

Blue just laughed, "You sure your prissy Pokémon can handle it?"

"Have I EVER lost to the likes of you?" Leaf reminded him with an angry glare.

"Yeah, you're one of the luckiest punks I've ever seen," Blue wasn't fazed. But then he looked down to notice a Lucario glaring at him.

"Is that yours?" Blue sounded like he was referring to a stain on the wall.

"You bet he is! Now get ready to battle!" Leaf ordered.

"…How did _you_ manage to get a Lucario? What, did you get it to feel sorry for you? Or did you manage to sucker it into believing you can actually train it?"

"I'll PROVE just how well I've trained him! Now GET OUT YOUR POKéMON ALREADY!" Leaf roared.

"Fine, if that's how you want it," Blue whipped out one of his pokéballs.

"Stop! No battling is allowed in this area!" a battle attendant woman made her way over and scolded them sharply.

"Whatever; I was leaving anyway," Blue sniffed and turned to leave.

"Everyone knows who would have won anyway," Leaf crossed her arms over her chest adamantly.

After Blue had gone, Riley turned to Leaf hesitantly. Whatever was going on between them really wasn't any of his business, so he wasn't quite certain what to say or do next. He wanted Leaf to feel better, but he certainly didn't want to get involved in a tangled mess either.

Leaf sat back down and sighed. Now Riley really couldn't help himself…

"Who was he?" Riley asked.

"Just your average jerk," Leaf tried to make light of things once again, but the tone of her voice didn't make it seem that way.

Knuckles just grunted, apparently unconvinced.

"Fine…" Leaf groaned slightly, "I guess it's not like we have anything better to do, so I might as well bore you both with all the details… No use startin' anywhere but the very beginning…

"Blue used to be my neighbor back when we were really young, back before we were trainers or even thinkin' about Pokémon. He was always really mean and constantly had to win at everything…" Leaf made a disgusted face as she recalled this, but then snapped back to attention when she remembered she was still telling a story.

"Uh anyway…" Leaf cleared her throat, "Um, he and his family moved away to Pallet Town when his sister turned ten. They wanted to live closer to Professor Oak's lab and stuff. I would have just forgotten all about this kid eventually, but as fate would have it, I ran into him again when I picked up my first Pokémon..."

"You still lived in… Cerulean?" Riley tried to remember.

"Yeah."

"So… you traveled to Pallet all by yourself? Without any Pokémon?"

"No, I actually borrowed my dad's Pidgeot for that first trip on my own," Leaf smiled, "Anyway, as I was saying, uh, when I finally got to Pallet, I was actually the first to arrive to the lab that day, so I got to choose my starter Pokémon first. Blue came next, and his neighbor, Red, was late.

"As you know already, I chose Squirtle. Just to show me up, Blue chose the grass type Bulbasaur. Red was okay with Charmander actually; he said it was his first choice. So, in a weird way, I guess we all won…

"But anyway," Leaf shook her head as she realized she was starting to go off on another tangent, "Uh… Blue. Yeah, he was always really snobby toward me whenever he bumped into each other in Kanto… so I thrashed his Pokémon in battle in return. He's never beaten me before, and I think he's really sore about that… Regardless… I failed in my challenge against the Elite Four. And he went on to be the Champion. However, I think he's got a record for being the shortest Champion ever, because he lost to Red in his very first challenge.

"Anyway!" Leaf sighed and started to play with her hair, wishing that she hadn't realized she had strayed off topic once again, "Over the years, the three of us went our separate ways. I mostly trained in the Cerulean Cave, while Red wandered off around Mount Silver… I think he might still be there, actually… Anyways, Blue traveled off in some other region or something. I didn't see him for several years… It was actually when I started studying to be a researcher when I finally ran into him again…

"So," Leaf was starting to look really distracted as she wound her fingers around in her hair, "Um, he seemed like he changed… He was actually really nice to me... So, we started dating; everything seemed like it was going great…"

"Argh!" Leaf suddenly grabbed at her hair in utter frustration, "I was SUCH an idiot! I don't know WHAT I was thinking!"

"I mean, he treats his Pokémon like crap, so," Leaf reasoned, mostly with herself, "why on earth did I EVER think he'd be any different with me?"

"What did he do to you?" Riley suddenly looked angry, but Leaf hadn't even noticed.

"Once I caught him makin' out with some other girl, I knew it was pretty much over…" Leaf sighed, "I was so blind… I didn't even see it coming... Just… stupid!"

"Mmm…" Riley mused from under his lowered hat, "Don't stress over it. I think it pretty much happens to everyone at some point… I've had my share of letdowns too… I'm sure everyone has…"

"Really?" Leaf finally looked over at him. The thought of him dating people just kind of seemed… unreal to her for some reason.

"Mm-hmm," Riley hummed without making any eye contact with her.

Leaf looked at her knees. She was suddenly feeling really uncomfortable discussing such personal things with Riley. What the heck had possessed her to tell him that? He probably didn't even want to hear all that.

Suddenly Leaf broke out into nervous laughter, "Man, I'm sorry… I don't know why I run my mouth so much… I must be crazy…"

If Knuckles looked confused before, he looked downright bewildered now. Why was his trainer suddenly acting like an idiot?

"Don't apologize," Riley finally looked over at her, "You can tell me anything you want to."

"Geez, Riley…" Leaf still looked embarrassed, "I don't really know what I did to deserve a friend as good as you."

Riley shrugged, "I could say the same for you."

Knuckles groaned. Now they were just being way too sentimental… And it seemed like it was just a matter of time before they starting making out…

Knuckles shuddered. Gross.

"Leaf and Riley?" a battle attendant walked up, "We're ready for you now."

"Sorry, dude, but it looks like it's that time again," Leaf said to Knuckles as she pulled out his Pokéball. They both knew the drill by now.

After she recalled him, the two trainers followed the attendant behind the desks to an elevator. After a long elevator ride, they were led down a hallway. The lady led them through the first door which led to a decent sized arena.

"I can't wait!" Leaf grinned. The music was great, and here was their final set of challenges. She couldn't think of a better way to spend the day.

But she didn't have to wait long because their first challengers walked into the room shortly afterwards and took their places at the other end of the field.

"Aaw~! You two would make SUCH a cute couple!" an Idol gushed the moment she laid eyes on them.

"Heheh… yeah, whatever," Leaf scratched the back of her neck. Riley was too busy hiding under his hat to say anything.

"T. R. Herring, ready for battle!" the second battler announced.

"Go my sweet Luvdisc!" the Idol called out her heart shaped Pokémon.

"Go Ursaring!" T.R. cried.

"Come out, Espio!" Leaf declared.

"Absol! It's your turn!" Riley called out.

"Luvdisc! Use Sweet Kiss!" the Idol sang out. Her heart Pokémon kissed Absol on the cheek. Absol became extremely confused after getting this sort of attention.

"Use Swift!" Leaf ordered her Pokémon. From out of nowhere, ninja stars slammed into both Luvdisc and Ursaring.

"Use Hammer Arm!" T.R. was next.

"Look out!" Riley exclaimed. Absol thankfully dodged out of the way, and Ursaring's fist smashed into the ground right where Absol had been seconds ago.

"Now use Swagger!" Riley commanded. Absol sighed, and Ursaring went crazy with anger.

"Use Attract!" the Idol called out. But, it didn't have any effect because all the Pokémon were female…

"Swift again!" Leaf cried. More ninja stars slammed into the Luvdisc and Ursaring.

"Hammer Arm again!" T.R. called out. This time, Ursaring's attack did not miss its target. Absol shuddered in pain.

"Use Swagger again!" Riley wanted both of the opponent's Pokémon to be confused. But he wasn't that lucky; Absol was so confused that she used Swagger on herself somehow.

"Water Pulse!" the Idol sang. And her Luvdisc shot out an impressive Water Pulse at Espio. Strangely enough, the water pulses were somehow shaped like hearts.

Leaf decided to ignore that oddity for now, "One last Swift attack!"

Luvdisc fainted, but Ursaring was still going strong.

"Another Hammer Arm!" T.R. called. But Ursaring wound up using Hammer Arm on himself. Apparently he was still really confused.

"Absol! Use Night Slash!" Riley called out. Absol slashed at Ursaring with her claws saturated with dark energy. It was enough for Ursaring to faint.

"Go Igglybuff!" the Idol sang as she sent out her little piece of bubblegum (or so it seemed).

"Use Psychic, Espio!" Leaf called. Espio's attack successfully smashed into Igglybuff.

"Go Remoraid!" T.R. sent out his next Pokémon.

"Absol! Use Sucker Punch!" Riley cried. Little Igglybuff fainted already.

"Psychic again!" Leaf wasted no time calling out her Pokémon's next attack.

"Remoraid! Use Signal Beam!" T.R. ordered. Now it was Espio's turn to faint.

"Sucker Punch again!" Riley ordered.

"Come on out, Knuckles!" Leaf sent out her Lucario.

"Ice Beam!" T.R. cried. Now Absol had fainted.

"Aura Sphere!" Leaf directed. And with that, Remoraid fainted.

"Aw! I lost!" the Idol moaned but then looked thoughtful, "…But, if it brings you two closer together, then it's all WORTH IT!"

"…Are you kidding me…?" Leaf balked. Riley merely hid under his hat.

"That was pretty timely. Good work," T.R. was still amiable.

"Let me heal up your Pokémon," the attendant insisted. She held their pokéballs in her hands and performed the usual magic spell.

Much later, Leaf and Riley were ready to face their last set of opponents.

"Call me Kyo!" the first smiled.

"Sniper Scot," the second nodded.

Leaf looked a little alarmed at that last introduction, but she didn't have the chance to think of something clever to say before they started releasing their Pokémon.

"Go Lumineon!" Kyo cried.

"Gabite!" Sniper Scot called out.

"Here we go, Espio!" Leaf sent her Pokémon out.

"Go Absol!" Riley nodded.

"Silver Wind!" Kyo called out. Espio grimaced from the super effective attack.

"Morning Sun!" Leaf cried. Espio healed herself by drawing from the weather. But since it was cloudy, it didn't help as much as Leaf would have liked.

"Dragon Claw!" Scot ordered. Gabite slashed Espio with purple dragon energy.

"Swagger!" Riley cried. Absol sighed, and that made Lumineon ridiculously angry.

"Silver Wind again!" Kyo commanded. However, her Pokémon was confused and wound up using the attack on herself.

"Swift!" Leaf ordered. Both Lumineon and Gabite were hit by ninja stars.

"Use Dragon Claw once more!" Scot cried. Espio fainted.

"Sucker Punch!" Riley called. His Absol attacked Lumineon successfully.

"Water Pulse!" Kyo cried. Lumineon's attack hit Absol squarely.

"Go Knuckles!" Leaf called out.

"Use Dig!" Scot cried. Gabite dug into the ground to hide.

"Night Slash!" Riley ordered. Lumineon fainted from the force of Absol's attack.

"Go Finneon!" Kyo sent out her next Pokémon.

"Aura Sphere!" Leaf cried. Knuckles shot an Aura Sphere at Finneon with moderate damage.

"Dig attack!" Scot called. Knuckles was hit hard by the flecks of dirt that smacked into him when Gabite came out of the ground.

"Sucker Punch!" Riley directed. Lumineon winced from the damage.

"Captivate!" Kyo smirked. Finneon winked cutely at Knuckles who actually looked a little scared in response.

"Don't pay any attention to that!" Leaf encouraged, "Just use Aura Sphere on that fish!"

Knuckles obeyed, and Finneon wound up fainting.

"Use Dig again!" Scot called out. Gabite dug into the earth to hide again.

"No use in attacking," Riley shrugged at Absol.

"Aura Sphere!" Leaf ordered. Nothing can hide from that attack!

Apparently, this was not so because when Knuckles blasted the ground, Gabite was buried too deep to be affected by the attack.

"Dig!" Scot encouraged. And the flecks of dirt slammed into Knuckles again.

"Night Slash!" Riley cried.

"Another Aura Sphere!" Leaf ordered. Now Gabite had fainted.

"Go Blastoise!" Scot cried.

"Swagger!" Riley directed. There was no escape now as Blastoise became confused.

"Me First?" Leaf wondered what would happen. And somehow, Knuckles summoned a crashing wave onto the battlefield.

"How'd you know I was gonna use that move?" Scot looked really confused. But then he shook it off and called out his attack, "Use Surf!"

Absol fainted after that one.

"Sorry Riley," Leaf was sheepish.

"You didn't mean it," Riley shrugged good-naturedly, "Now come out, Ursaring!"

"Aura Sphere!" Leaf called.

"Surf!" Scot called, drenching all combatants once again.

"Hammer Arm!" Riley commanded. At that, Blastoise fainted.

"Kyo approved of this battle. It was fun," Kyo nodded.

"Later, mates," Scot nodded as well.

"Congratulations! You win 3 BP!" the attendant beamed.

After all that was over with, Leaf and Riley finally made their way back outside. The second Leaf stepped outdoors, Knuckles came out of his Pokéball on his own like usual.

"You probably want to check out the kiosks for a few minutes before we leave?" Riley reminded.

"Right," Leaf nodded.

After several minutes of _leaf_ing around, Leaf decided hold onto her BP for now so that she could actually afford something worthwhile whenever she decided to come back again.

"So, you're not going to trade for anything?" Riley asked curiously since he had nothing else to think about at the moment.

"Yeah, I guess not. Maybe later I can afford something I actually want," Leaf shrugged, "Anyways, I think we better get back to the Pokémon Center so that we can meet up with Toby again before dinner."

"Right. Let's go," Riley nodded.

Leaf nudged him just above the elbow, "I had a lot of fun battling with you today. Thanks for a great time."

Riley smiled at her, "It was a pleasure."

oOoOoOo

Notes: And there we have it! All reviewers (with names) have been completed! Just my way of saying thanks to everyone who has reviewed. And it really saved me from being extremely bored while writing all these looooong battle scenes…


	57. Chapter 57: Peace and Burgers

"Arrrgh!" Leaf exclaimed in irritation, "Where IS Toby?"

Riley looked up from some magazine he randomly found on the table they were sitting around, "I'm sure he's on his way…"

"Well, he's taking forever! My stomach is all guu, and I can hardly stand it anymore!"

"Guu?" Riley repeated blankly.

"Yeah, guu; that's the sound your stomach makes when you're absolutely starving," Leaf explained as she munched distractedly on a pretzel she found in her bag. She had already fed Knuckles and her other Pokémon, but Leaf had yet to feed herself. She had felt it only polite to wait for Toby before giving in to dinner, but he still hadn't come back yet. It was coming on seven thirty. She even had had the time to email Rowan with all the details on Azelf! And that was something she'd been putting off for quite a while now…

"Do you sense him at all?" Leaf suddenly rounded on Knuckles. She had almost forgotten about his handy trick.

Knuckles merely pointed at the door, and seconds later, Toby bounded in.

"Toby is here!" he declared proudly.

"Finally!" Leaf sighed, "What took you so long?"

"Toby come long time ago, but Riley and Leaf not here, so Toby come back now."

"Did you even eat anyth-?" Leaf began but she was cut off by Toby suddenly dropping stuff all over the table,

"Toby find moneys!" he declared happily.

"What the…?" Leaf stared, "Toby, how on earth did you get money?"

"Toby battle many trainers," Toby explained proudly, "In first, Toby not want to battle, but kids are so annoy to Toby that Toby decide to battle. And Toby win! So Toby get money! Now Toby have money to get more Pokéballs!"

"Good work, Toby," Riley shrugged.

"So, did you use some of that money to buy food?" Leaf wondered aloud.

"No," Toby shook his head and then smiled proudly again, "Grovyle catch Fearow, so Toby and all Toby's Pokémon eat roasted Fearow!"

Leaf made a face, "…Toby! Have many times do I have to tell you to stop eating Pokémon! It's SO gross!"

"Oh… Toby still have extra Fearow in Toby's bag… Toby bring it for Leaf and Riley…" Toby looked a little disappointed that his gift wasn't going to go over as well as he had anticipated, "But now… Toby must eat Fearow alone…"

"Sorry, Toby, but we really can't eat that sort of thing," Riley tried to explain without grimacing.

"But we _do_ have to eat _some_thing!" Leaf groaned as her stomach started to grumble angrily once again.

"What?" Toby asked.

"Maybe we could pick up some fast food really quick," Riley suggested. His stomach was pretty angry at him too.

"Fast food?" Toby repeated in surprise, "There is food that go fast?"

"Food that they _make_ fast," Leaf corrected him then turned to Riley, "Let's go now."

So, Leaf, Riley, and Knuckles headed off to Hamburg Queen for dinner. Toby tagged along as well since he was eager to try some new food, and he was pretty tired of eating Fearow meat by now anyway.

"I would like a HAMburger with fries. A HAMburger, okay? NOT a CHEESEBURGER, but a HAMburger, got it?" Leaf made certain she was clear.

"Sure thing, a hamburger without cheese" the lady behind the counter repeated and nodded without even looking at her.

After waiting positively forever, the three Trainers finally received their food and sat down at a table to eat. The three hungrily ate in silence for a good while.

Eventually, however, Leaf couldn't resist the urge to talk, "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"We could head on up to the Survival Area if you want," Riley suggested.

"Uh, what's that?" Leaf asked as she finished off her fries.

"Basically a training area for tough trainers. There's a café there that I really want you to see. Gym Leaders sometimes stop by, and if you're lucky we might be able to challenge them for a rematch."

"Really? That sounds like fun," Leaf smiled and decided to give the rest of her fries to Knuckles since he wouldn't stop staring at them. Within seconds, they were gone.

But Leaf was too busy digging though the bag for her hamburger to even notice. When she finally found it and unwrapped it, she wasn't pleased.

"I TOLD them I wanted a HAMBURGER!" Leaf raged when she pulled off the bun and saw all this cheese melted everywhere all over her blasted sandwich, "There's no way I can eat this! The blasted cheese is EVERYWHERE!"

Leaf tried scraping it off but it was so gooey and sticky that it really wasn't working, "BLAST IT!"

"What's wrong?" Riley looked startled.

"They gave me the wrong food," Leaf growled.

"Did you check the receipt?"

Leaf fished it out and glared at it, "It says hamburger with no cheese! Bunch of idiots!" she mumbled she got up to go over and complain.

"Can I help you?" the lady behind the counter acted like she had never seen Leaf before.

"Yeah! You gave a cheeseburger earlier when I seriously TOLD you like three times that I wanted a hamburger with no cheese! Just look at this!" Leaf held the receipt up in her face.

"Oh, sorry, just wait here, and we'll get one for you, ma'am," the lady waved over to the end of the counter.

After silently fuming for a good five minutes, Leaf became utterly exasperated and started to glare at any worker who happened to glance in her direction. Other customers came and went.

Eventually, she couldn't hold her tongue any longer, "How LONG does it seriously TAKE to give me a blasted hamburger? Honestly! There's like five of them over there! Just GIVE me one already!"

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to wait," the lady behind the counter informed her, "Just chill out for a few seconds…"

Leaf sneered back, but then gave up and resolved herself to wait forever. She couldn't wait to take the online survey and give these jerks a piece of her mind…

"Leaf? What's up?" Riley asked as he headed over to see what was taking her so long.

"They're having me wait a hundred hours for a hamburger!" Leaf growled.

"Why? There's a bunch of them over there…" Riley pointed.

"That's what I tried to say and they just-" Leaf began.

"Oh! You're right! Here you go!" the lady noticed and actually paid attention to Riley. She hurried over and handed a hamburger to a dumbfounded Leaf.

"Are you kidding me right now? I just SAID that like twenty minutes ago! What the heck? Does it take a _man_ to say something in order for anything to happen around here? I thought this was Hamburg QUEEN! I mean, _come on_, can this place get any _more_ hypocritical?"

"Hey, I dunno… I guess he just caught my attention 'cause he's sorta hot," the lady behind the counter shrugged.

"Right. Real cute," Leaf snapped. She promptly tore off the wrapping round the burger to check if it was truly cheese free, "Okay. You were lucky _this_ time," she said darkly before walking off.

When she and Riley returned to their table, Leaf suddenly realized that she now had two burgers. She looked over at the forgotten cheeseburger and raised an eyebrow, "Oh… I guess I just got a free cheeseburger then…"

"You deserve one after waiting around forever like that," Riley frowned.

Leaf looked over at Knuckles and noticed that he was staring at the cheeseburger with adoration, "Uh, do you want it?" she asked him.

Knuckles nodded fervently and looked as though he might drool all over the table.

"Sure… Go ahead then," Leaf raised an eyebrow.

Knuckles hungrily attacked the burger with his fangs. The sandwich had smelled so good that he couldn't stop thinking about it the entire time. Less than three bites later, the cheeseburger was gone. Knuckles savored the taste in his mouth and couldn't help but wonder why Leaf never gave him anything that was this greasy before.

Leaf could only stare as she watched her Pokémon demonstrate such terrible manners. She felt a little embarrassed about it at first, but then supposed it couldn't really be helped since it was most likely part of a Lucario's nature. She highly doubted that they'd be peace loving herbivores or anything like that. So she kept those thoughts to herself and turned to her own burger to finally get started on it.

Knuckles watched her take a small, ladylike bite and groaned loudly. This was going to take forever…

And forever it did take. But Riley and Toby seemed a little more understanding of Leaf's slow eating habits than Knuckles. Toby had just used the opportunity to tell them all about everything he had done that day. But after all that was over with, Leaf and the others headed back to the Pokémon Center to pretty much get ready for bed…

"I love this place," Leaf smiled as she climbed onto a bed after coming out of the small bathroom.

Knuckles was currently checking out the lamp on the night table because he found it interesting for some reason. At Leaf's reemergence from the bathroom, he looked up from it and instead focused his attention back on her.

"Hmm… Well, maybe I can start practicing with my aura again…" Leaf mused and held out her palm. She focused her thoughts onto bringing out her aura.

But after ten minutes of sitting there with no results, Leaf started to become frustrated, "It's not working! I bet the only reason I did it last time was because Riley did it for me or something!" she exclaimed.

Knuckles gave her a look. Did she really think that?

"Well… yeah…" Leaf mumbled as she looked at her empty hand, "I mean, if ya think about it, Riley was always holding onto my hand every time. And I bet he guided the aura or something… I don't think I did it on my own. That explains why it's suddenly not working now."

Knuckles rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance. Then he grabbed her hand just like Riley had and told her to focus.

Leaf looked a little taken aback for a minute, but then tried to bring out her aura once again. After a few tries, she managed to do it, "Aha! I told you! I only did it this time because you helped!"

Knuckles smirked deviously and abruptly pulled away. The tiny blue light in her hand remained.

"Wha-! You tricked me!" Leaf squeaked.

Knuckles smirked again. She needed to be tricked. It was the best way to get her to figure out the truth on her own.

"Okay… I'll give you that one…" Leaf rolled her eyes like she was annoyed but couldn't hold back a small smile. Then she looked back at her hand and began to wonder about something that was… very important…

"Aah! How do I make it stop?" she panicked.

Knuckles looked at her like she was crazy. He didn't know how exactly. His Aura just always disappeared on its own whenever he didn't need it anymore.

"That doesn't help at all!" Leaf complained and started shaking her hand like crazy to try to get rid of it. She was about to go and find Riley when it finally dissipated.

"Dang… Aura is not fun…" Leaf sighed.

oOoOoOo

Riley was sitting alone along the seashore while the setting sun was glistening over the sky. He sighed deeply. This sort of sight was extremely beautiful, but it reminded him of things that he had long since wanted to have forgotten.

"Riley?" a familiar voice asked.

Riley turned around to face Leaf, "Something wrong?" he asked her.

"Well… I was wondering…" Leaf looked away shyly for a few seconds before looking at him again, "…if you might help me with something…?"

She waited expectantly for his response, her big blue eyes pleading.

How could he turn her down?

"Of course," Riley agreed, "what do you need?"

"I've been having trouble with my shoe… You mind helping me put it on?"

"Sure," Riley agreed, somehow thinking that this was a perfectly normal request to make.

Leaf took a seat on the nearby bench while Riley fished her tiny tennis shoe out of the sand. He slipped it onto her equally tiny foot easily without having to even untie the laces. When he pulled away, his hand lightly brushed against the silky soft skin of her leg.

Riley immediately began to readjust his hat on his head while he mumbled out an apology. Leaf merely giggled softly in response. Once she was silent, Riley slowly gazed up at her. She was so young and pretty… Too young and pretty for someone like him.

"Riley…" she said softly with an amused smile on her face, breaking the long silence held between them, "Do you know how I feel right now?"

"I really need to get going," Riley said quickly and got to his feet. He knew how this was going to turn out. He had been through it all before.

"Don't leave…!" Leaf got up as well, but made no move to follow him.

Riley paused. Almost said something but didn't. He then turned back to face her once again.

"Leaf…" he said finally, "You don't know what you're feeling… If you knew more about me… you wouldn't feel the way you do anymore."

"How do you know?" Leaf challenged.

"It just… It would never work!" Riley turned away, "…Not that I don't want it to…" he added in an undertone.

"So, you _do _feel the same way."

"No… You don't understand…" Riley trailed off, not certain how he felt anymore.

"RILEY!" a loud voice called out obnoxiously. Riley turned back around and was surprised to see Rukario standing beside Leaf.

"Aww! Rukario!" Leaf gushed and started to pet him.

But Rukario paid her no mind at all. He was too busy glaring at Riley, "I'm HUNGRY, Riley! How do you expect me to SURVIVE if you don't ever give me any FOOD?"

Riley was at a loss for words. Was Rukario… talking? That couldn't be, now could it?

"Oh, I get it!" Riley suddenly realized, "This must be a dream!"

"Yeah, a dream where I STARVE TO DEATH!" Rukario shot back.

"So… if this is a dream, then I guess there's no harm in doing this," Riley figured and took Leaf's hand. Before she had a chance to say anything, the two were passionately kissing.

"Well, that wasn't in the script," Rukario mused thoughtfully. Now it was time to improvise. After all, somebody had to keep these two in line.

Rukario held his paws together and slowly pulled them apart to reveal his glowing bone. He twirled it around dramatically for a few moments before gearing up for a big hit.

Rukario smirked. He loved his job.

THWACK!

Riley awoke the next morning with a blistering headache. What a dream. And it just had to end with him getting knocked in the head with a Bone Rush attack…

Riley sat up in his bed and couldn't help but groan aloud. He felt like he had been run over by a truck. He glanced over at Toby to see that he was still sound asleep. Like always.

Later, Riley emerged from dorms of the Pokémon Center to make his way to the lobby. Once there, he was greeted by Leaf and Knuckles trying out yoga poses they were seeing on TV.

Ugh. Did she _have _to be stretching? Riley wasn't certain he could take it right now…

"Huh. Time for a break, I guess…" Leaf mused as she watched the athlete demonstrator on TV do a pose that probably wouldn't be appropriate for her to try while wearing a skirt, "Hey Riley! You want to try yoga with us? It's really fun!"

"No thanks. I need to go get a newspaper…" Riley mumbled in response.

"Okay…" Leaf stopped suddenly when she finally got a good look at him, "Wow, you look really tired… Did you sleep okay last night?"

"…Sort of…" Riley looked away embarrassedly, "I have to go. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay, sure. See you."

By the time Riley returned with a paper, the yoga program was over only to be replaced by some Sinnoh cartoons designed for preschoolers. Needless to say, Leaf and Knuckles got tired of that rather quickly.

"Is there anything in the paper about Team Galactic?" Leaf asked as she dug around in her bag.

"Surprisingly no. Nothing about Hunter J either," Riley added.

"Man, they've been awful quiet lately…" Leaf mused as she finally found the brush she was looking for, "I wonder if they've given up on tracking down the Lake Pokémon…"

"I doubt it," Riley looked up from the paper at her, "Neither of them seem the type to do that."

"Maybe they're competing? And they somehow wound up killing each other off?" Leaf suggested somewhat dramatically and began to brush Knuckles' fur, much to the fighting type's delight.

"If only we were that lucky…" Riley smirked as he returned his gaze to the paper, "However, I don't think either of them will bother us as long as we're here."

Leaf continued to brush her Pokémon thoughtfully. He was right, in a way. She did feel much safer here than anywhere else in Sinnoh. But… as she gazed at the cheerfulness in Knuckles' eyes, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder how long this peace would last…

oOoOoOo

Notes: So, how was that? A dream for Riley has been long since overdue. I just couldn't quite think of a "crazy" dream for him, so I settled for a more… unexpected one instead.

And I felt it only fair to demonstrate the plight of the lactose intolerant. Fast food people tend to never be respectful…


	58. Chapter 58: Typical Training?

"Toby will catch more Pokémon today!" Toby cried out happily as he ran through the forest. It was a bright and sunny day just like yesterday, and he was going to enjoy it.

But today, something seemed off. Toby couldn't quite place what it was, but something seemed… strange.

"Riley?" Toby stopped in his tracks. Where were his friends? "Leaf?"

They said that they were coming with him today… he thought they were right behind him… Where were they?

Toby tried to focus. He wasn't great with Aura, but… maybe he could locate his friends.

After several tries, Toby shook his head in defeat. Then he reached for his Pokéballs. If he couldn't sense them, then perhaps Ki could. But when he touched his belt, he realized that he didn't have any of his pokéballs. What? Where were they? Toby frantically felt all his pockets and even checked his bag. But, they were nowhere to be seen. He started to panic. Where were all his friends?

Instinct took over. Toby started to run. He didn't really know why he was running or where he was running to, but this feeling of fear was suffocating him. Running seemed to make it slightly less unbearable. As fast as he was running, the trees seemed like a blur to him. It wasn't until he heard a sudden bark that he stopped.

Toby's heart was beating wildly. Without moving a muscle in his body, he carefully scanned the area with his eyes. What had made that sound?

Suddenly, the trees around him started blazing in fire. Toby looked around wildly. It couldn't be… Not them again…

Toby's fears were realized when several Houndoom stepped out from the blazing trees. They were all snarling and growling menacingly.

"Why are you here? Go away!" Toby cried out to them.

They weren't listening. Houndoom had always been a Pokémon that Toby could never communicate with…

The leader barked loudly, and the six of them suddenly leapt at him with fiery breath heading straight for him…

"Master Toby! Master Toby! Wake up!"

Toby groaned and rolled over. Was he asleep? Yes, that had to be it…

Toby sat up and blinked at Ki, his eyes still bleary from being sound asleep moments before, "Ki? Why are you out of your Pokéball?"

"I could feel your aura. It almost seemed like you were in danger…" his Pokémon responded.

"Oh… Well, I guess I had a nightmare…" Toby yawned as he scratched his head and made his hair even messier than it already was, "Sorry for making you worry…"

"No problem," Ki looked thoughtful, "…Do you mind me asking what your dream happened to be about?"

Toby looked uneasy, "Just never mind…"

Much later, Toby emerged from the dorms, fresh and ready to begin a new day, "Toby is awake!" he called out to his friends proudly.

"Hey, Toby," Leaf grinned, "You finally ready to get going?"

"Yes! Toby is always ready!" Toby grinned back.

Not much later, the three trainers and Knuckles headed off into the tropical forests to make their way to the Survival Area. Riley was the first to speak, "I was thinking… maybe could do some training before we…"

"Get lost?" Leaf supplied.

"Toby is never lost!" Toby laughed.

"Right… Well, I was only saying… I mean, there's no hurry to get there or anything…"

"What kind of training did you have in mind anyway?" Leaf asked.

"Ooh! Toby know! Toby will get logs!" Toby exclaimed and ran off.

"What's he talking about?" Leaf looked really confused now.

"Uh… I don't know, actually…"

"Well, whatever, I've got my own training in mind anyway," Leaf shrugged and let out four of her Pokémon.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta roared, thinking that he was being called into battle. When he saw no opponents, he faltered and looked confused.

"Okay, I'm assigning the five of you to a very important mission!" Leaf said dramatically, "I want you all to get along by yourselves until Toby gets back!"

Knuckles, Espio, Vegeta, Blathers, and Popuri stared back at her with dumbfounded expressions.

"You heard me! Now do it!" Leaf commanded.

The five of them quickly scrambled off to go… make friends with each other.

"Well… that's unorthodox…" Riley remarked.

"Yeah, well, I've been needing them to become better friends for a while now…" Leaf mused nonchalantly as she looked over Azelf's Pokéball in her hand. She couldn't help but wonder if Azelf should join the rest of her Pokémon…

Leaf quickly put the Pokéball away. No, she didn't feel it was _that_ safe here.

"But anyway," Leaf smirked slightly at Riley, "Now that the Pokémon are busy, what do you say you and I-?"

"D-do what?" Riley gulped and cautiously backed away slightly.

"Practice aura…" Leaf raised an eyebrow, "What did you think I was going to say?"

"N-nothing," Riley swallowed again, "Uh, have you been practicing?"

"Yeah. I brought out my aura again yesterday..."

Meanwhile, Leaf's Pokémon had all gathered around near a pond where Blastoise was cooling off. Being a water type, he wasn't really suited to such warm weather. The others certainly didn't mind; they were feeling a little hot as well and being near the cool water helped even if it was only a little.

"Don't you think Leaf and Riley are _meant _for one other?" Popuri gushed as she watched her trainer talking with Riley.

"Meant how?" Vegeta repeated blankly.

"Toby is hungry!" Blathers babbled.

"Oh, you know…" Popuri cooed, "…they get along sowell that I think they might…_love each other_!" the little bird was beside herself with joy.

"What have you been sniffing?" Blathers asked her suspiciously, "Methinks the lady-bird hath smelled a fair too many flowers yester eve!"

"IT'S AFFECTING YOUR BRAIN!" Blathers shrieked.

"Give it a rest, Blathers…" Espio said smoothly.

"…You agree with me, don't you Espio?" Popuri sniffed.

"Maybe…" Espio mused as she gazed at the trainers herself, "But I haven't seen them together enough to know… What do you think, Knuckles?"

"What?" Knuckles was trying his best to ignore everyone because he really didn't want to hear them blathering about whatever nonsense they were going to discuss today. But at the sound of his name, it was pretty hard for him to not look up.

"What does your Aura tell you? Do Leaf and Riley really have any feelings for each other?" Espio asked clearly.

"Ooh! Tell us, Knuckles! Tell us!" Popuri encouraged like an eager little child.

"The Force is with Knuckles!" Blathers declared, "Well… sometimes anyway…"

Knuckles groaned, "I am not a fortune teller!"

"It's not about fortunes… it's about their auras…" Espio pointed out.

"Just tell us what you know," Vegeta grunted, "Let's hear it already!"

"I herd you leik Mudkipz…!" Blathers piped up.

"Fine," Knuckles growled darkly, "As of right now, I'd say that Leaf and Riley… have feelings but they're not strong enough for either of them to act on them anytime soon."

There. That answer should appease everyone.

"I _knew_ it!" Popuri gushed.

"But that's just it. You don't understand anything," Knuckles huffed, "When Leaf thinks of things like that, she's just being a silly girl."

"WHAT?" both Espio and Popuri exclaimed in unison.

"You dare make fun of Leaf?" Vegeta growled.

Knuckles just ignored them and continued, "….It's not like she can really help it though; I think it comes with being a girl. They don't have any control of their emotions…"

"But it's not like they can help it!" Knuckles repeated frantically when he looked up and saw all the others' angered expressions.

"Who wants roasted Lucario?" Blathers laughed.

"Oh stop it, all of you!" Espio shook her head, "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, regardless of how stupid it is."

"Do you liek Mudkipz?" Blathers asked in a strange, drunken- sounding voice.

"No, I hate Mudkips!" Knuckles growled, "Almost as much as I hate YOU!"

"But what about Riley?" Vegeta suddenly realized, "Is he just being 'silly' when it comes to liking Leaf?"

"I should hope not," Blathers pointed out in a very proper-sounding voice.

"Riley…" Knuckles scoffed, "_He_ doesn't even know what he's thinking."

"… So I take it you don't like Riley?" Espio looked a little confused, "Why?"

"Well, he doesn't like Mudkips…" Blathers mused in a voice that sounded a lot like Riley.

"I don't hate Riley…" Knuckles began.

"…But?" Vegeta prodded.

"But… I just don't think he's suited for Leaf," Knuckles finished.

"Yeah, I said it!" Blathers cheered.

"Are you the type of Pokémon who doesn't think anyone is good enough for his trainer?" Espio smirked.

"No, I just don't like Riley very much."

"You don't like Riley?" Popuri exclaimed, "Why not?"

"I just don't," Knuckles said stubbornly.

"This is madness…" Vegeta groaned.

"No… THIS IS ATHENS!" Blathers screamed.

"Do you ever shut up?" Vegeta growled at him.

"You asked for it by saying that line," Espio sighed.

"Well, now I'm asking for peace! Hand it over, NOW!" Blathers roared.

"…Are we friends yet?" Popuri moaned.

"Do ya got any grapes?" Blathers asked randomly.

Meanwhile, Toby suddenly returned with Torchic at his side while Leaf was attempting to sense Aura. It wasn't going well at all, so she was happy for the distraction, "Hey, you're back! So, where did you run off to in such a hurry anyway?"

"Toby get logs for training," Toby explained and dumped the contents of his bag on the ground.

"Oh, I get it now. I didn't think you would have remembered…" Riley smiled.

"Well, I don't get it. What up with the logs? You gonna make a fire or something?" Leaf asked.

"Not fire! Toby want to train, not eat!"

"Uh…"

"You'll understand soon," Riley promised.

Leaf watched her friends set up some kind of pendulum experiment by tying the logs to the branches of the trees so that they would hang down from them. Leaf frowned. What were they doing… trying out a physics experiment they learned back in high school? But then again, Toby never even went to high school (one of the many perks of living in the forest all your life) so that theory was kaput.

Toby gave several of the logs a mighty push, and they swung back and forth in a deadly arc.

"Dude! That would REALLY hurt if somebody got hit by that!" Leaf exclaimed, "What were you guys hoping to accomplish by building a death trap like this?"

"No one's going to get hurt…" Riley explained calmly as he started to put on a blindfold, "Not as long as they're trained in Aura…"

"Riley…" Leaf warned, "…What do you think you're doing?"

"It's fine, don't worry…" Riley assured as he stepped into the line of fire with his blindfold over his eyes.

Leaf had half a mind to drag him out of there, but then she remembered he had his handy aura powers to save him. Aura certainly never fails, does it?

Riley deftly dodged every log heading straight for his head without missing a beat. He couldn't even see them, but it didn't matter because he could sense them all with his aura. He actually looked pretty blasted cool, like he was a hero straight out of an anime… well, in Leaf's opinion anyway.

After a while, Riley fell back and returned to safety without a scratch.

"Show-off!" Leaf pretended to scoff at him.

"Now is Toby turn to 'show-off'!" Toby beamed as he took the blindfold from Riley. He kept that childish grin on his face the entire time he dodged all the deadly logs.

By now, Knuckles and all the rest of Leaf's Pokémon had headed over to see what all the commotion was about.

"Does your Lucario want to try?" Riley asked Leaf as though they were simply playing a game of hide and seek or something.

"Uh, maybe after I see Rukario do it first," Leaf was a little hesitant.

"Of course," Riley nodded and let out his Lucario. And of course, Riley's star Pokémon performed just as well as Riley himself.

"Well… what do ya say, Knuckles?" Leaf asked him. Of course Knuckles was raring to go, eager as always to prove himself.

He actually wasn't too bad at it, but Leaf was too anxious to really notice.

"Leaf want to try?" Toby asked. He was sitting up in the tree branches, ready to push any of the logs that might have been moving at even a fraction less than deadly speed.

"No thanks! I'm no aura master, and I actually value my life!"

"Yes, I don't think that's such a good idea for her right now…" Riley agreed.

"Leaf is fast too…" Toby shrugged.

Much later, Leaf, Riley, Toby, and Knuckles were back on the road heading for the Survival Area once again. The four of them were in great spirits especially Toby. Nothing was more fun for him than catching new Pokémon. And this route was far from lacking in that department.

It took a little longer than expected, but before long, the four of them were standing before the Survival Area. It wasn't much really. Just a few houses here and there.

"So… why Toby, Leaf, Riley, and Knuckles come?" Toby asked blankly.

"To see the Battle Café," Riley explained, "Follow me."

"More battles?" Toby asked wearily.

"Well …yes."

"Oh come on Toby. Remember that you can win money," Leaf nudged his side.

Knuckles sniffed. There was food nearby too.

"FOOD?" Toby exclaimed, "All must hurry! Go now!"

"Dude, calm down," Leaf cried as he practically dragged them all there.

"Yo, Toby, how goes it?" someone standing near the door of the most noticeable building called out, "Oh! Hey! And it's Riley too! Haven't seen you in a while!"

"Hi Buck, it has been a while," Riley nodded, "… But, how do you know Toby?"

"Met 'im the other day. We battled. He won. I thought he kinda looked like you though... You guys bros or something?"

"Cousins, actually," Riley corrected, "Oh, and this is Leaf."

"Hi," Buck perked up at the sight of her. He had practically missed her since she was so much smaller than anybody else, "Are you Riley's cousin too?"

"No," Leaf shook her head, "Just a friend."

"A friend, huh?" Buck smirked, "Well, friend or not, you're going to have to beat me in battle to come into my gramps's café!"

"Are you kidding me? What's with this place? How many times do I seriously have to prove myself here?" Leaf exclaimed, "And what about Toby? It's his first time too!"

"Battled him yesterday," Buck said smoothly, "He's free to come in anytime he wants. You, on the other hand, are going to have to battle me. I mean, it's not like I'm gonna let you in just 'cause you're pretty!"

"Fine! Bring it on!" Leaf pulled out a pokéball. That rotten punk was going to get what he deserved!

"Don't underestimate him," Riley warned, "Buck is Flint's younger brother, and he's not one to be trifled with."

"Really? Huh… I should have guessed…" Leaf muttered. Buck was young, but he had a red afro just like his brother. The only major difference with his hair was that he had attempted to tie it back a little in a freaky sort of ponytail. He was just as bow-legged as Flint, but at least he didn't have that same creepy grin… well, as of yet anyway…

"Well said, Riley," Buck smirked, "Now get ready!"

"Hmph," Leaf smirked as well, "I'm always ready!"


	59. Chapter 59: The Battle Café

"Well, here we go!" Buck smirked, "I'll start with Shuckle!"

"Oh, one of those, huh?" Leaf smirked. She'd heard of Shuckle before. Her brother, Pine, had one, "Well then, I choose Vegeta!"

"Shuck-le," Shuckle gulped as his wiggling arms and legs oozed along the ground.

"Blastoise!" Vegeta roared, ready for action.

"Use Toxic!" Buck called out. Shuckle waved his oozing squid arms around, and Vegeta was inflicted by crippling poison.

"Use Surf!" Leaf ordered. Vegeta's crashing wave smashed into Shuckle, but the worm-like Pokémon was still standing.

"What?" Leaf exclaimed.

"Shuckle's ability," Riley explained, "Sturdy prevents one-hit knockouts."

"Rest!" Buck ordered. Shuckle let out a big yawn before falling asleep. And of course, the Pokémon's health was restored back to his maximum.

"Use Surf again!" Leaf growled. No use wasting a Hydro Cannon attack if it wasn't going to take him out in one hit anyway.

"Even with a type advantage, it's still taking you forever to beat my Shuckle…" Buck said proudly.

Leaf growled angrily, "End it with another Surf!"

And with that, Shuckle was down for the count.

"Good try, buddy," Buck nodded as he recalled his Shuckle, "Now it's your turn, Umbreon!"

"Hit it with a Hydro Cannon!" Leaf cried. Vegeta unleashed the full force of his watery wrath.

"Geez," Buck frowned as he recalled his now fainted Umbreon, "Okay, now go Dusknoir! I'm counting on you to take that turtle down!"

"…Well, if you aren't going to attack," Buck shrugged after a long pause, "Then I'll go!"

"My Blastoise's charging…" Leaf explained.

"Oh. Well, whatever! Then now's your chance to use Thunder Punch, Dusknoir!"

The Dusknoir slammed an electrified punch right into the vulnerable Blastoise's stomach.

"Hang in there, Vegeta, and use Hydro Pump!" Leaf called out. Unfortunately, the attack missed.

"You know what to do! Use Thunder punch again!" Buck cried.

Vegeta grimaced. He probably wouldn't be able to take much more of this. And the poison certainly wasn't helping his case.

"Return!" Leaf recalled him.

"Oh? Chickening out, huh?" Buck smirked.

"You wish," Leaf smirked back, "Now go, Popuri!"

"Don't let its cuteness get to you, Dusknoir!" Buck cried out frantically like he was afraid his Pokémon might contract some kind of deadly and crippling disease, "Use Thunder Punch again!"

"Sing!" Leaf cried. Popuri's melodious song affected Dusknoir just before he was able to punch her.

"Aw, come on! Wake up!" Buck shouted.

"Use Dragon Pulse!" Leaf cried. Her little bird Pokémon kept using the attack until Dusknoir fainted.

"Why are the cute ones always ridiculously tough?" Buck moaned as he recalled Dusknoir, "Well, anyway, it's your turn, Torkoal!"

"Use Fly!" Leaf called out. Popuri took to the skies high above Torkoal.

"Protect!" Buck smirked. And when Popuri flew back down, her attack was useless.

"Just use Dragon Pulse!" Leaf ordered.

"Eruption!" Buck cried. Torkoal unleashed his powerful fiery fury.

"You can do it! Keep using Dragon Pulse!" Leaf encouraged.

"Eruption once more!" Buck cried.

"Return!" Leaf called out. No use pushing her Pokémon any further, "Now go, Blathers!"

"No taxation without representation!" Blathers shouted.

"What…?" Buck just looked at the Chatot blankly.

"Just never mind him…" Leaf sighed.

"Well then, use Eruption, Torkoal!" Buck snapped back into action.

"AAH! Lions and tigers and FLAMES! Oh my!" Blathers screamed.

"Just use Uproar!" Leaf commanded.

"DIE, YOU FIEND!" Blathers roared, "TREMBLE AT THE MIGHT OF MY AWESOME VOICE!"

Torkoal couldn't take it anymore and fainted. Who could blame him?

"Time for my last shot…" Buck pulled out his next Pokéball, "Go Claydol!"

"Use Feather Dance!" Leaf cried.

"These feathers shall mark your demise! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!" Blathers shrieked as he beat his wings wildly, sending thousands of feathers at Claydol.

"Use Ancient Power!" Buck called out. Massive glowing rocks swirled around Claydol before smashing into the unaware Chatot.

"My feathers… they weren't enough… And now… all of mankind is doomed…" Blathers moaned as he slumped to the ground and beat his little wing against the dirt path.

"Don't sweat it, Blathers…" Leaf sighed and recalled him, "Go Espio!"

"Earth Power!" Buck cried out. Claydol shook with power as the ground started shaking and tiny eruptions slammed into Espio… somehow.

"Use Swift!" Leaf commanded. Espio unleashed a few of her ninja stars at Claydol.

"Keep using Earth Power!" Buck cried.

"Keep using Swift!" Leaf echoed.

"Not much longer now! Keep it up!" Buck cried out to his Claydol.

"Use Morning Sun!" Leaf smirked. Thanks to the bright sun overhead, Espio was able to recover a considerable amount of health.

"Arrgh! I told you it's always the cute ones!" Buck grumbled, "Whatever! We'll never give up! Keep using your Earth Power attack!"

"One more Swift attack!" Leaf cried. After this attack, the mighty Claydol fainted.

"Well, whaddaya know! Nice one, Leaf!" Buck winked at her as he recalled his Pokémon, "Now you can enter my grandpa's café!"

"Thank you…?"

"You'll love it here! Byron's already inside, so come on in and make yourself at home!" Buck completely ignored Riley and Toby (who were both just standing around the entire time) and led Leaf inside like she was the only potential customer around.

"Byron?" Leaf repeated. Man, that name sounded familiar… Oh, right, he was the…

"LEAF!" the Gym Leader of Canalave practically shouted through his mouthful of food once he caught sight of her. He then banged his fist on the table as he tried to swallow his giant mouthful of whatever it was that he was eating. After he managed to gulp it all down, he was back to screaming again, "I KNEW it wouldn't be long before I'd see you here! Ah! And Riley too, I see! Good to see you both! BWAHAHAHA!"

"Hi Byron," Leaf waved, "Nice to see you again, too…"

Riley nodded to Byron politely and started to head over to him, "Hi, mind if we join you?"

"Of course not!" Byron boomed, "Come on over!"

"Whoa… Total hottie alert!" Buck suddenly turned away from Leaf as his attention focused on another girl in dark black clothes heading this way, "Uh, sorry Leaf, but it's time for me to play guard again, so make yourself at home, okay?"

"Uh thanks, I guess…" Leaf shrugged and decided to just follow Riley.

"…It's a little early for dinner, isn't it?" Riley smirked as he made his way to sit across from the Gym Leader.

"Oh! You know me! I'm always hungry! A man needs to fill up in order to get everything done, am I right?" Byron laughed.

"…Toby is hungry too…" Toby was practically drooling as he gazed at Byron's seemingly heaping mounds of food.

"Hmm? Who is this?" Byron looked at Toby with a confused look on his face.

"My cousin, Toby," Riley supplied.

"Ah! Really! You two look a LOT alike! Uncanny!"

Leaf was the last to sit down, and she wound up having to sit next to Byron. Knuckles had occupied the seat closer to Riley before she could. Just great. The man talked loud enough as it was, and now she had him right next to her ear…

"So! LEAF! Are we going to have a rematch?" Byron suddenly asked.

"Uh, I'd love to, but my Pokémon are a little beat from battling Buck…"

"Oh… Wait! What about that Pokémon?" Byron pointed at Knuckles, "Doesn't look all that tired to me…"

"Oh, that's right! I didn't use Knuckles in my battle, so then I guess it's on!" Leaf grinned. Knuckles just smirked, ever eager to take on a challenge.

"You BET it is!" Byron shouted, "This is going to be a battle of a LIFETIME!"

"Yeah… definitely…" Leaf held her hand over her buzzing ear in an attempt to block out any more incoming noise.

"Toby is… so hungry…" Toby moaned, "Can Toby buy foods here?" he asked Riley.

"Sure, let's go," Riley nodded, "We'll be right back."

Meanwhile…

"Ugh, my grandpa's Arcanine wasn't enough…" Buck groaned.

"No one can beat my Arcanine…" Marley, the girl in black, stated as she recalled her strongest Pokémon.

"Well, if he was actually my Arcanine, I betcha he'd be much tougher," Buck smirked at her.

"Whatever… Can I come in now or not?"

"Sure thing! Come on in! Make yourself at home!" Buck grinned and grabbed her hand to lead her inside.

"Don't… touch me…!" Marley glared at him darkly.

"Uuugh! Sorry!" Buck frantically pulled away, "Just trying to be a welcoming host…!"

Marley said nothing and just walked inside.

Back to Leaf, Byron, and Knuckles…

"You know… I didn't think you and Riley would wind up traveling together…" Byron said thoughtfully between massive bites of potato salad.

"Yeah… Well, you know…" Leaf shrugged.

After a few more shovelfuls of food, Byron seemed thoughtful once again, "That Riley…Never ceases to surprise me… He's one odd fellow, to be sure…"

"Odd how?" Leaf prodded.

"He's a mystifying sort, that one… I've known him for years, but I still feel as though I hardly know anything about him… For starters, I don't even know how old he is…"

"I dunno for sure either, but I'm sure he's somewhere around my age…" Leaf shrugged it off as unimportant.

Byron just looked at her blankly, "Well, to be honest… I have no idea how old you are either…"

Leaf laughed, "I'm twenty-two."

"Wow! I was REALLY off! Here I thought you were sixteen!" Byron laughed loudly at his own mistake.

"What? Are you _kidding _me?" Leaf exclaimed.

Meanwhile… back with Buck and Marley…

"Therefore… the world beyond consists of an infinite abyss leading to nothing but blackness forevermore…" Marley droned darkly while Buck just listened with his mouth hanging open. The girl sure did sound smart, but she was awfully… dreary… wasn't she?

Buck shook his head wildly to focus his thoughts. Suddenly he decided he didn't care about all that stuff. She was pretty, and that was all that really mattered. And on top of all that, she was talking to him. After brushing him off so coldly before, he assumed that she was the type who didn't really talk to anyone. But now, here she was, telling him all about her dark poetry. All it took were a few questions of genuine curiosity... Now he wasn't the poetic type, but he could get used to it… And hey who knew; maybe his cheerful antics could rub off onto her as well…

"Lemonade?" Marley asked suddenly as she pushed his untouched glass closer to him. Her long black-polished nails pinged against the glass as she did so.

"Thanks…" Buck smiled gratefully as though she had just made it for him herself moments ago.

"Did you forget it was there?" Marley asked robotically.

"Maybe…" Buck chuckled sheepishly.

Whilst that little story unfolded, Riley and Toby made their way back to Leaf and the others.

"You like lemonade, right?" Riley asked Leaf as he handed her a glass.

"Aw… yeah, of course. Thank you, Riley!" Leaf beamed.

"Don't thank me," Riley adjusted his hat, "I just happen to get drinks for free here…"

"Really?" Leaf looked surprised.

"Yeah! Gym Leaders even get free food too! This place is the BEST!" Byron added with his usual over-enthusiasm.

"Oh yes!" Toby agreed whilst stuffing his face.

"Hey Riley… how old are you?" Leaf asked, "Byron was wondering, and I really have no idea, so I figured I'd ask…"

"Twenty-six," Riley answered.

"…What? Seriously?" Leaf looked a little taken aback. She didn't realize he was that old. Granted it wasn't that much older than her, but still… She thought people would already be married by that age…!

"Yes… seriously…" Riley looked a little perturbed.

"Really!" Byron exclaimed, "Now see, I NEVER would have been able to guess that! Can you believe that I thought Leaf was sixteen?"

"Well, that's not too far off, is it?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

"Not you too!" Leaf groaned, "I'm _twenty-two _alright? Honestly, did you guys think I'm still in high school? How did you think I could be a Pokémon Researcher if I didn't have any college education?"

"Oh… I suppose I never even considered that before…" Riley looked a little embarrassed as realization struck him hard.

"Twenty-two is a little young to graduate from a college, isn't it?" Byron asked thoughtfully.

"Maybe for some people," Leaf shrugged, "I didn't find things to be so hard, so I guess I went a little fast. I passed quite a few tests that let me skip around a little. I have to travel a lot, so it was a good choice for me."

"But anyway," Leaf turned on Riley suddenly, "how old did you think I was?"

"Ah… I wasn't too sure, but I always assumed you were around Toby's age…" Riley muttered.

"How old is Toby?" Leaf asked as she looked over at him. He had been happily eating the entire time, paying hardly any mind to anyone or anything other than his food.

"Eighteen," Riley answered.

"Really?" Leaf was a little surprised.

"My uncle was quite a bit younger than my father…" Riley explained almost as if he read her mind.

"Hey Dad!" a familiar voice called out before Leaf even had a chance to think of a response.

"ROARKIE!" Byron shouted, "When did YOU get here?"

"Calm down, Dad," Roark chuckled as he walked over to them, "I heard from Maylene that you'd be here, so I decided to come on over."

"Oh, hi!" Roark smiled when he saw Leaf and Riley, "It's great to see you again, Riley! And I remember you, Leaf! You were pretty tough, but now I'm ready for a rematch!"

"Bwahahaha! You're too late, Roark! Leaf's going to battle ME!" Byron boomed.

"Aw…" Roark did nothing to hide his disappointment.

"AH!" Byron's face lit up as he seemed to have suddenly been struck by an amazing idea, "This is PERFECT! Since Riley's not dating Leaf, then that means YOU can, Roark!"

"Ugh, Dad… Please don't embarrass me…!" Roark looked incredibly sheepish.

Leaf just decided to laugh it off, albeit a bit nervously. Byron really had a knack for embarrassing people, didn't he?

"What is 'dating'?" Toby asked with a confused look on his face.

Riley frowned. He had already given up a great opportunity to Roark before… was he truly willing to just give up another one…?

Roark slid into the seat beside Toby, "Hey, what's your name anyway?" he asked his new neighbor quickly in an attempt to change the subject.

"Toby is me!" Toby said proudly.

"I'm Roark."

"Toby is Riley's cousin," Toby added after careful thought. He remembered everyone saying that all the time, so he figured he ought to say it.

"Really? I didn't know you had a cousin, Riley," Roark looked at his friend in surprise.

"Neither did I… until recently, that is…" Riley shrugged.

"…What?" Roark looked really confused.

"Long story…" Riley sighed.

oOoOoOo

Notes: A special thanks to Scotsniper for suggesting the Marley and Buck romance. I honestly never thought of or heard of that pairing before, and I think it's really funny. So I decided to incorporate it as a little side story going on at the same time as the main plot. I kind of needed something for Buck to do anyway because when I first planned this out, he was kind of going to somehow fade in the background (but don't worry; we'll see him again in a bigger role later)… So I think it wound up much better this way.

Also, I really have no idea how old Riley actually is, so if anybody out there knows, it'd be appreciated if you'd enlighten me. I've read fics where he's all kinds of ages, but twenty-six just sounded the most realistic in my eyes anyway. So, that's why I chose it.

As for Leaf's age… the original Pokémon games were released in 1998 (in the US anyway). That was twelve years ago. So if you add twelve to ten (age of typical noob Pokémon trainer) you get twenty-two. Simple.

The next few chapters should be really good. I'm excited to finally finish this Battle Frontier side stuff soon… Not too much farther to go…


	60. Chapter 60: Booming Byron

Leaf didn't really know how it happened. One minute, they were all chatting peacefully, and the next, Byron and Roark had erupted into a brutal argument…

"Tyranitar is the strongest Pokémon there is! …Aside from Rampardos, of course."

"NONSENSE! My Aggron is FAR stronger than that WEAKLING!" Byron boomed.

"No way! Tyranitar is better!" Roark cried.

"AGGRON is the BEST!"

"Tyranitar!"

"AGGROOOOOON!"

Leaf covered her ears. The two of them had been arguing (or more accurately, holding a screaming fest) for nearly a half an hour by now. Her ears could hardly stand Byron's obnoxiously loud voice.

But now that her ears were reasonably protected, Leaf decided to look around and see how everyone else was handling it. Toby, of course, was too busy eating happily to even notice them. Apparently, all he needed to be perfectly content was a plate of food. Riley was just watching the scene unfold without much expression on his face. Apparently, he was used to this. Leaf caught his eye, and he smirked slightly. Yup, he was used to it. Typical father and son get-together for sure. Well, at least in Byron and Roark's case anyway…

Leaf had to turn away before she started to laugh and instead turned her attention on Knuckles. He was just watching the two Gym Leaders argue with muted interest. His eyes followed the line of attack… back and forth… back and forth…

Leaf uncovered her ears, "You find them interesting?" she couldn't help but ask her Pokémon.

Knuckles grunted. He didn't have anything better to do… since he _wasn't _battling.

"… Oh yeah; that's right! I almost forgot about our battle!" Leaf exclaimed, "…Um…?" Now came the hard part. How was she going to get Byron's attention?

"You've GOT to be _kidding _me, Dad! Orange juice is _way _better than grape juice!"

"You must be CRAZY! Grape juice is the best juice on this PLANET!" Byron screamed.

Leaf just blinked. They really could argue about just about anything.

"Orange juice is the BEST!" Roark shouted.

"GRAPE JUUUICE!"

Leaf couldn't help but notice that Roark's voice almost sounded high and squeaky when directly compared to his father's thunderous and deep voice. It was like comparing a feather to an anvil… But that was beside the point.

"Um? Byron?" Leaf tentatively tapped his shoulder, afraid he might accidently smack her in the face with one of his wild and overly expressive hand gestures.

"WHAT?" Byron roared.

"Uh….?" Leaf was momentarily shaken by such a loud and booming blast mere inches away from her face, "Did you still want to battle…?"

"OH! That's RIGHT! I nearly forgot!" Byron exclaimed before quickly looking down at the rest of his food (which he had all but forgotten up till now), "Just let me finish up really quick!"

"Sure thing; just so long as you don't-" But Leaf could only stare as she watched Byron shovel food into his mouth at a frantic pace.

"Slow down, Dad! You're going to choke!" Roark cried.

"Nonsense, Roark, my boy," Byron chuckled as he wiped his lip proudly, already finished with all his food, "Now then… sorry to keep you waiting, Leaf! Are you ready for this?"

"You bet!" Leaf grinned.

Meanwhile… at the other side of the room…

Marley took another sip of her orange juice. She looked up from her glass when she noticed a few lights flashing on at the tiny battle arena, "Hm? Are they going to battle?"

"Yup!" Buck leaned back in his seat to enjoy the view, "Looks like Leaf's going to take on Byron!"

Marley just stared. She didn't know who Leaf was, but she supposed that really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, "Huh. Well. At least we won't have to hear that crazy man screaming about nothing for a while."

"I doubt that!" Buck laughed, "You haven't heard Byron battle before, have you?"

"Meh… I'm glad I haven't. That man already annoys me beyond belief... and I haven't even met him yet."

"Who do ya think's gonna win?" Buck asked excitedly.

"… I don't care. It doesn't matter anyway… We'll see for ourselves in a few minutes..."

"My money's on Leaf!" Buck continued enthusiastically as though she hadn't said anything, "No way she's gonna lose after she kicked the crud outta me!"

"I'm not betting on anything," Marley said sourly into her drink, "… But I guess I think the girl's going to lose. She looks like a wimp. I can't imagine her owning any tough Pokémon… And even if she did, I can see her treating them all like babies."

"Hey now! She can't be a wimp if she beat me!"

"You aren't tough…" Marley replied with the slightest hint of a smile on her face.

"I'm not…?"

"Well, maybe you're a _little _tougher than I gave you credit for…"

"What the heck? …Oh, I get it! …You're teasing me aren't you?" Buck winked.

"I _don't _tease," Marley said firmly.

Anyway, back to the battle…

"Prepare yourself…" Byron said ominously as he stood before Leaf on the battlefield of the Battle Café, "… for the battle of a LIFETIME!"

"We're ready anytime!" Leaf declared. Knuckles flexed, ready to go.

"Come out, Aggron!" Byron cried as he unleashed a giant steel type.

"Aggron is evolved... Aron?" Toby asked.

"That's right," Riley nodded, "Aggron is the fully evolved form of Aron."

"Okay, Knuckles. We have the advantage here, but don't underestimate them even for a second!" Leaf instructed.

"Your move, Leaf!" Byron called out, "Unless you're too frightened by the AWESOME MIGHT of my Aggron to continue!"

"Not a chance," Leaf smirked, "Start with Aura Sphere!"

Aggron roared in pain once the Aura Sphere blasted him square in the jaw.

"Shake it off, Aggron, and use Earthquake!" Byron shouted.

"AGGROOON!" the giant steel and rock type bellowed as he began to pound his massive legs against the ground. The entire arena started rocking from his sheer weight, even Riley and the others could feel it from the sidelines.

For some reason, this shaking caused Knuckles great pain, and he even collapsed to the ground.

"Aw man… You okay, Knuckles?" Leaf bit her lip; was Knuckles going to faint right then and there? Ground based attacks were his weakness after all…

But Knuckles did manage to back get on his feet after much difficulty.

"Ah, tough one, I see…" Byron mused, "GOOD! I was afraid this battle might not last! Bwahahaha!"

"It's not going to last much longer…" Leaf smirked, "Try another Aura Sphere!"

With this last attack, Aggron fainted. The tremor that occurred after his body collapsed to the ground actually caused Knuckles to faint right along with him.

"Uh…? Knuckles? Are you okay…?" Leaf looked confused. How could he have fainted without even being hit by an attack?

"LEAF WINS!" Buck jumped out of his seat and screamed.

Everyone stared at him.

"What…? Byron's Pokémon fainted first…"

"Did you _bet _on my battle?" Leaf asked angrily. Why else would he get all excited over it?

"No… Marley doesn't take bets…" Buck frowned as he just slumped back into his seat and hoped no one could see him anymore.

"Well, kudos to you, Leaf!" Byron laughed, "I didn't think you'd beat my sturdy Pokémon TWICE in a row!"

"Thanks…" Leaf replied and decided to just recall Knuckles into his Pokéball for now.

"Toby's turn!" Toby beamed.

"Oh? So you want to battle me? Then come on up!" Byron boomed.

"Okay! Toby use Grovyle today!" Toby declared as he took his place on the battlefield and released said Pokémon.

"Well, I'm going to use Magnezone!" Byron exclaimed and let out a new Pokémon.

"Mag-ne!" Magnezone beeped.

"Uh? What?" Leaf blinked as she noticed a striking similarity in Magnezone's appearance to another Pokémon she knew quite well, "I didn't know that Magneton could evolve!"

"Magneton can only evolve when training in certain areas," Riley explained.

"That's… so weird…"

"Whenever you're ready, Toby…" Byron began calmly enough but obviously did not plan on ending his statement with that same tone, "GIVE ME YOUR WOOOORST!"

"No, Toby do best!" Toby smiled, "Gro! Grovyle!" And with that, his Grovyle performed an impressive Leaf Blade attack.

"Huh…?" Roark looked really confused.

"Oh yeah, he can speak Pokémon, just so you know…" Leaf explained quickly.

"…What?" Roark just looked even more confused at her statement, "How'd he learn to speak Pokémon?"

"Uh… he's a… genius…?" Leaf supplied lamely while Riley just shook his head.

"Whoa!" Byron exclaimed, "Well then, Magnezone, you use Supersonic!"

"Mag-ne!" Magnezone cried as he exhaled a gray spiraling beam from his mouth. Grovyle was hit and became confused.

"Grov! Vyle! Gro! Grovyle!" Toby called out. Only Grovyle seemed to get it, and he used another Leaf Blade attack.

"You're going to need a LOT more power than THAT, Toby!" Byron shrieked, "Show 'em how it's done, Magnezone! Use your Flash Cannon attack!"

Magnezone shot out a streaming blast of energy straight for Grovyle. The grass type was too confused to have any hope of dodging the attack.

"Grovyle! Grovyle! Grov!" Toby exclaimed. To this day, no one knows what attack he was attempting to direct his Pokémon to use since Grovyle was too confused to do anything other than attack himself.

"Keep using Flash Cannon!" Byron boomed.

"Gro! Grovyle! Grov!" Toby urged. This time, Grovyle was able to pull it together and use a Brick Break attack. This super effective attack proved to be an effective trump card since Magnezone promptly fainted afterwards.

"You should come to my Gym!" Byron laughed congenially after he recalled his fainted Pokémon, "Maybe you could win yourself a badge! Bwahahaha!"

"Yes, Toby do want shiny… one day, maybe," Toby grinned, "Now Toby just want moneys."

"ROARK!" Byron suddenly exclaimed.

"Uh? W-what, Dad?" Roark had to push his glasses back on his nose since they practically fell off from his surprise.

"When's the last you battled Riley? Maybe you ought to show him how hard you've been training since you became Gym Leader, eh?"

"What do you say, Riley?" Roark asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Riley replied as he pulled his hat down lower on his face.

The two of them took their places on the arena while Toby and Byron cleared out, "This is going to be GREAT, isn't it, Leaf?" Byron cried.

"Yeah, sure," Leaf agreed.

"So, how about we each use just one Pokémon? Like how my dad and your friends have been battling?" Roark suggested.

"Sounds fine to me," Riley agreed as he pulled out a Pokéball, "And I'll start with Metagross!"

"And I'll use Aerodactyl!" Roark cried and released his giant flying dinosaur.

"Use Bullet Punch!" Riley ordered. Metagross punched Aerodactyl at lightning speed which was actually pretty amazing since his arm was so heavy and huge.

"Use your Earthquake attack!" Roark commanded. Aerodactyl screeched loud enough for the arena to shake, and Metagross could only just barely stand it.

"Hang in there, Metagross!" Riley urged, "Try using Psychic!"

Aerodactyl suffered a direct hit, but it was certainly not enough to take him down.

"Finish this with Dragon Claw!" Roark exclaimed. And with that, Aerodactyl slashed at the steel and psychic type with ferocious dragon powered energy. Poor Metagross was unable to withstand any more of this and fainted.

"Great work, Aerodactyl!" Roark beamed and recalled him.

"Not this time, huh? Too bad," Riley reached for his Pokéball, "Return, Metagross. You did your best."

"Way to go, Roarkie! You THRASHED Riley! I never thought I'd see the day! You've grown up SO FAST!" Byron wailed, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Dad… please…" Roark looked quite embarrassed.

"Maybe we should go…?" Leaf wondered aloud. She wasn't certain if their presence would ruin this father-son moment or not…

"You don't… have to… if you don't… want to…" Roark managed to choke out between attempts at escape from all of the crushing hugs from his father.

Leaf looked over at Toby and Riley and couldn't help herself anymore. Looking at their faces as they watched Byron crying and hugging his son was too much, and she burst out laughing.

oOoOoOo

Notes: I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year! I would have said this in the last chapter, but I guess I thought I was somehow going to get out another chapter before Christmas. I was way off on that…

Anyway, I noticed that many of the readers for this story tend to be Lucario fans, so I wanted to throw out a little bit of advertisement on here to promote another fic I started called Hearty Harvest. It's a Harvest Moon and Pokémon crossover that contains a Lucario as one of the main characters. So if you're into that sort of thing, you might want to check it out. It's quite a bit more serious than this fic, but it's still got some humor of course. And you don't have to know about Harvest Moon in order to understand what's going on.

Anyway, back to this story, I realize that the chapter is a little short this time around, but I kind of needed to end it here. Next chapter might be quite long, but I don't really know. I'm just glad to finally have this Battle Zone side quest thing come to a close. It took much longer than I had expected…


	61. Chapter 61: Plays

"I really don't think I can sense Aura anymore, Riley…" Leaf complained. She was sitting on her bed, listening to Riley explain for the tenth time how to sense others' auras, "I think it just sorta happens for people like you, but for people like me, it doesn't. Plain and simple as that…!"

"That's not true," Riley shook his head, "I'm certain anyone can do it. That said, however, I recognize that it's not easy. But if you keep trying, I know that you can do it."

"Well, I have done it once before," Leaf admitted quietly as she turned over Azelf's Ultra Ball in her hand, "But what I don't understand is why I can't do it again!"

"You've sensed Aura before?" Riley looked incredulous, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well… I don't know…" Leaf mumbled, still turning over that Pokéball in her hand.

"Whose Aura were you able to sense?"

"Azelf's."

"Really?" Riley looked surprised, "When did you sense it? Were you using any of my techniques?"

"No. I wasn't," Leaf answered softly, "It just… sort of happened once. And I've never been able to sense any other Aura other than Azelf's ever since. Even with your techniques… which coincidentally, I don't really think any of them actually work…"

"Hmm…" Riley looked thoughtful, "Perhaps… you and Azelf share a very strong bond… It's not too unusual… I've heard of it before actually…And it would explain how you were able to sense him without even trying to…"

"What kind of bond? What d'you mean?"

"Well…" Riley looked over at her thoughtfully, "Your aura is very strong. Unusually strong. Perhaps even as powerful as Azelf's. That might make your auras similar enough for you to be able actually feel it on your own. I've heard of cases where two Auras were so similar that they shared an inseparable bond, and because of that, the two could easily sense each other's joy and pain."

"Hmm… really…" Leaf raised an eyebrow, "Well, that sounds really… weird…"

"Maybe a little…" Riley acknowledged, "Perhaps I might be able to explain it better if I knew enough about it myself first... The truth is, I'm not a master, so I still have much to learn on my own part as well…"

"Yeah… and I doubt it's something that you can just read a book about at the library or something…" Leaf echoed, "Hmm…By the way… have you ever sensed Azelf's Aura before, Riley?"

"No. I haven't," Riley admitted, "The truth is, I'm not the best when it comes to sensing Auras either. I normally have to check with Rukario to make certain my hunches are correct. … I never have any trouble sensing yours, however. I think your aura is so powerful that it's the easiest to sense that I've ever felt. It's too bad you can't sense yourself. It'd actually make great practice for yourself if you could…"

"… If only…" Leaf smiled slightly.

"Coincidentally…" Riley began hesitantly, "… What sort of feelings did you sense emanating off of Azelf at the time?"

"He was very anxious…" Leaf looked downward at the little Pokéball in her had once again, "I think he was worried about Mesprit… maybe Uxie too… I'm not too sure… All his anxiety was beginning to rub off onto me, so that's why I didn't really say anything about it at the time…" she trailed off and fell silent for a while.

"… You worry about Azelf and the other Pokémon a lot more than you let on, don't you?" Riley asked quietly.

Leaf said nothing. She knew he already knew the answer to that.

Eventually, she expected Riley to just leave since the conversation had all but died off, but he didn't. She didn't really know why he was still sitting there, but she didn't really have the desire to look over at him. She had a feeling that he was just going to feel sorry for her, and she didn't want to even think about it. It wasn't his job to cheer her up all the time. He had done it enough times before. In all honesty, she had never really done much for him before, so she didn't think she deserved his help. She just wanted to be alone so she could deal with her problems herself. However, all these thoughts disappeared from her head at Riley's next action.

Granted, it wasn't a major action. All he did was brush aside some of her hair behind her ear. Strangely enough, this simple action caused her to freeze in place as if an Aura Sphere had exploded just inches away from her person. She remained frozen for several seconds afterwards because she could still feel Riley's eyes on her. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and looked over to face him. He met her gaze for a few seconds before finally turning away. She continued to watch him blankly, wondering what on earth had just happened.

She didn't stew over it for too long since a new oddity had arisen several minutes afterward…

"Uh…? Do you hear that…?" Leaf asked finally.

"Yeah…" Riley answered, finally looking up from the ground, "It sounds like… some kind of… Pokémon is… chewing… on something…?"

Leaf whirled around and climbed over to the other edge of the bed to see if anything strange was happening over there, "Knuckles! You IDIOT! What the heck do you think you doing?"

Sure enough, Knuckles was sitting there, carefully hidden right next to the edge of the bed where neither of them would have been able to see him at the angle at which they had been sitting. It wasn't so much that he was hiding from them as it was what he was actually doing over there…

"Why on EARTH do you love to _EAT _all my stuff?" Leaf raged as she attempted to tear her boot out of Knuckles' mouth. Eventually, she managed to do so and was more than a bit angry to discover all the teeth marks and pokédrool 'gracing' its once smooth surface.

Riley could only raise an eyebrow at this. He didn't really understand why Knuckles was even here… Wasn't he supposed to still be under the care of Nurse Joy? Did he truly escape the Pokémon Center's nursing staff just so that he could munch on Leaf's shoes?

Riley started to chuckle however, once Leaf began doling out 'punishment' (which basically consisted of Leaf playfully wrestling Knuckles to the ground and tickling him mercilessly) for his heinous crimes. Leaf certainly was… unique. Especially when it came to disciplining her Pokémon…

"Have you had enough?" Leaf asked dramatically. Knuckles nodded fervently between laughs and gasps for breath. "Remember this the next time you have the urge to _gnaw _on my stuff! 'Cause next time there _won't_ be any mercy!" Leaf declared.

Knuckles sighed in defeat and gazed at his paws. Since he didn't have any fingers, he really couldn't fight back when it came to this sort of vicious torture. Leaf really got him this time.

"Riley? Has Rukario ever eaten your stuff before?" Leaf asked. Riley was a reasonable trainer; how did he deal with such ridiculous behavior?

"No… Never before…" Riley admitted.

"Then why does Knuckles? He's supposed to be Rukario's _son _for crying out loud! Why doesn't he take after his dad?"

"We aren't all like our parents I suppose…" Riley mused, "Just look at Roark and Byron if you need an example…"

"AAAAAAH! BOY! There's a _BOY _in here!" Several newcomers suddenly screamed once they walked into the dorm room and beheld Riley sitting there. They left as soon as they came, probably to go tattle to Nurse Joy…

"Oh… Uh…?" Riley just looked baffled. Really… it was only seven o'clock; it wasn't like he was going to stay the night or anything. What were they causing such a fuss over?

"You should probably get out of here," Leaf rolled her eyes, "They're probably off to go get Nurse Joy on your case."

"Right... Well, good-night," Riley nodded as he made to get up, "I'll see you in the morning…"

"See you. Good-night."

Shortly after Riley left, the girls from before swarmed back into the room with Nurse Joy…

"… So what is the problem here?" the nurse asked with a confused look on her face.

"There _was _a boy in here! We _saw _him!" one of the young female trainers whined, "He must've left because he knew you were coming!"

"Or maybe you girls just had too much sugar," Leaf shrugged innocently.

"There WAS a boy in here!" another shot back, "I SAW him with my own eyes!"

"Well, at any rate, he's not here now, so I suppose there's no harm done," Nurse Joy said quickly before they could all get to arguing, "Now, I must get back to my work… There's a Pokémon on the loose somewhere that I must—Oh my goodness! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" she suddenly exclaimed in shock and pointed at a sheepish Knuckles.

"Knuckles!" Leaf exclaimed angrily once realization finally struck her, "You escaped from the nurses again didn't you?"

Knuckles shrugged, but he was unable to conceal the guilty look on his face.

"That's IT!" Leaf roared and practically tackled her Pokémon to the ground. She then proceeded to give him the worst tickling torture imaginable.

"Oh my…" Nurse Joy held her hand over her mouth delicately. What a strange way to treat a misbehaving Pokémon… Whatever happened to time-outs? That was the recommended course of action by the Pokémon Academy…

"And she said _we _had too much sugar…" one of the trainers rolled her eyes.

Later that night…

Leaf made a face. When on earth were these girls going to go to sleep? They had been up chattering mindlessly for the past two hours now. They were even worse than Blathers! Leaf was getting tired and truly wanted to get to sleep already. Too bad these girls were total chatterboxes…

"And then I said… and he said… and I…"

"Eeeeeee! Oh! My! Gawd!"

"Oh _my_ gawd! _When_ are you guys going to go to sleep?" Leaf exclaimed. She couldn't take it anymore!

"We can go to sleep whenever we want to!" one of the girls frowned, "And besides, we _aren't _guys; we're girls!"

"Yeah, whatever; it's just an expression anyway… I say that to everybody…" Leaf grunted back and then rolled over enough to cover her ears with her pillow.

"OMG! Look! Her Pokémon is a guy! He _totally _doesn't belong here!" another girl suddenly exclaimed and pointed at Knuckles.

Leaf sat up a little too quickly and wound up smacking her head on the bunk bed above her, "Ouch! Mmph… what the heck are you saying anyway? Where do you expect my Lucario to sleep if he can't stay in here, for crying out loud!"

"Um… Well, I _guess _it's okay…"

"Hey! I know! Why don't you put him in his Pokéball?"

"I don't-! I don't feel like it, okay? Just leave me alone so I can sleep!" Leaf just wanted to rip out her hair at this point. She was obviously at her wit's end.

"Touchy…"

"Still… you really should only let your girl Pokémon out… I mean, this _is _the girl's dorm after all…"

"Well _EXCUSE_ ME for not having a blasted Skitty!" Leaf roared.

"Sssh! You're gonna wake up the whole Pokémon Center!"

"Then quit provoking me!" Leaf snarled back. The girls fell quiet for a few seconds after that, so she rolled back over and tried to sleep…

oOoOoOo

"Ugh… Where am I?" Leaf wondered. She was wandering around in the darkness… She couldn't really see anything… but she could hear a faint voice. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't exactly place where she'd heard it before. Still, it was better than nothing, so she decided to follow the sound of the voice.

So, Leaf stumbled around in a seemingly messy room (tripping every now and again on who knows what) in order to find the source of the sound. Eventually, she managed to catch a glimpse of light. She followed it and pulled aside a curtain to reveal… a very strange sight indeed.

"Hark! A lady approach-eth!"

Leaf blinked in the harsh light and then just stared. Was that… Knuckles?

"Dost mine own eyes deceive me?" Knuckles asked dramatically, even draping one of his paws over his forehead for emphasis, "'Tis a sight most enchanting! The seas! Brilliant and foaming amongst the effervescent light of the most wondrous sunshine of the most delightful days of mine youth… and the mountains! In all their purity and grandiose majesty, comparable only to the valor of the most noble of warriors… hardened flesh amongst brutish weapons vile and deadly… By the grace of Arceus… all of these majesties (among others!) of all the most bountiful and harmonious of lands shan't be a suitable comparison to thine own beauty!"

Leaf could only balk. What the heck was he even talking about? And what was he wearing?

Knuckles waited expectantly and finally made obvious beckoning motions with his outstretched arm. He was starting to get an impatient look on his face, but Leaf didn't budge. The sight of her Pokémon dressed in a cheesy costume for some kind of boring play was pretty... frightening. He even had a messy wig on his head… She wasn't going to take any part in this insanity.

"Hast thou heard-est mine exhortations? Come hither my dear lady…!"

"Um… no… I think I'll just…" Leaf muttered quietly and tried to slowly back away.

"Yea, come _hither_!" Knuckles ordered and immediately hurried over to grab her arm and lead her to the center of the stage. Leaf could hear the sounds of laughter, but she couldn't really see much of anything beyond the stage she was on thanks to the bright lights.

"I pray thee, dear lady, speak-eth to me so that I may hear-eth thine melodious voice… a wondrous gift given from the heavens above!"

"Um? I guess I'm flattered, Knux… But I don't really get what you're even talkin' about… Although I'm not too sure that I even want to at this point… You're actually kind of freaking me out…"

More laughter erupted from somewhere beyond the stage. Knuckles was starting to look really irritated at this point.

But he quickly wiped his frown off his face and attempted to look engaged again, "Methinks the lady hath forgotten her lines… I implore thee… Speak-eth them now…!" And he waited expectantly for her to say her next line.

Obviously, Leaf had no idea that she was even in a play, let alone what her lines were, "Um…? Hi…?" she tried. Honestly, even she couldn't think of anything to say at this point…

More laughter.

Knuckles frowned again. So it had to come to this, didn't it?

Suddenly, Knuckles seized Leaf and spun her around until she was on his level. Leaf stiffened; what the heck was going on now? She winced when her Pokémon opened his mouth only a few inches away from her face. For a second she thought he was going to eat her, but obviously, that wasn't it, "Leaf? What is _wrong _with you?" he asked instead.

"…What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_? _You're_ the one who's acting weird!"

"_I'm _acting weird because _you _aren't acting at all! Why'd you even sign up for this play if you weren't going to say your lines?"

"…What?"

"I hate to say this, Leaf, but you're doing a _terrible _job here," Knuckles continued like she hadn't said anything, "I can't keep covering for you forever, you know! You're going to have to say your lines at _some _point! Did you forget _everything _you learned in that acting class you took?"

"Acting?" Leaf repeated blankly, "What? When did I-?"

"Yes. _Acting_," Knuckles said testily, "We're being _actors _right now, so you need to get it together and do your job already before the entire play falls apart! How else are we supposed to make any money? You want our lights to go out again? And the water bill?"

"A play for who?" Leaf blinked.

Knuckles smiled broadly before swinging her back around to an upright position, "For them, of course…!" he said grandly and held out his arm towards the edge of the stage.

The lights refocused to shine down on the seating area before the stage. To Leaf's utter amazement, hundreds of Chatot filled the rows upon rows of seating,

"D'ya think _I _could make my hair look like that Lucario's? He looks kinda snazzy!"

"Let's get stu-pid!"

"Bravo! Bravo! This is the best play I've seen in years!"

"But they haven't DONE anything yet!"

"Where's the punch?"

"Pika! Pika!"

"Hey, Vegeta? How long have we been waiting for the lady to deliver her lines?"

"Hmm… It's been… OVER NINE THOUUUSAAAAAAANNND… seconds of course… You never can forget to add the unit of measurement, I always say!"

"The footprints are Riolu's! The footprints are Riolu's! The footprints are Riolu's!"

"The longest wait is but the shortest test of patience!"

"Do a blasted… barrel roll!"

"I've got a hankerin' fer that there bean bowl!"

"D'ya got bid-ness here?"

"ENNNNERGGGGYYY BALLLLL!"

"It's-a me! Picasso!"

"Stupid, FAT hobbit!"

"Professor Oak is secretly a Jigglypuff? What a twist! I wasn't expecting _that _at all!"

"Aren't they a lovely bunch?" Knuckles beamed.

Leaf covered her ears. These Chatot were driving her crazy! There were at least a hundred of them talking all at once! "That's IT! I'm OUT of here!" she shrieked and stormed offstage.

Knuckles sighed. Then he turned over to the director, "_I _still get paid, right?"

Leaf huffed angrily as she jerked the curtain aside and stepped back into the cluttered mess known as the backstage. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but once they did, she promptly tried to find a way out of there. Even from back here, she could still hear the muffled shrieks of the Chatot. She definitely didn't want to stick around for any longer than she needed to, for the sake of her own sanity.

Leaf stopped short when she suddenly heard scuffling behind a set of shabby curtains, "Riley?" she asked warily into the relative darkness. She didn't know how or why, but she had a feeling that he was here, "Is that you?"

The curtain was suddenly thrown aside, and the person behind them was certainly _not _Riley...

"Not exactly…" a very familiar face smirked at her.

"…Volkner…? What are _you _doing-?"

But before she even had a chance to finish her question, Volkner's lips were on hers. Strange as it was, she honestly… didn't mind it…

Leaf's knees started to give out, and her entire world was turning hazy as the kiss deepened. But honestly, she didn't even care anymore… Volkner's kiss was becoming more and more passionate, and she wasn't certain if she'd have the willpower to keep herself from losing control…

"EEEEEEEEEE! He REALLY said that!"

Leaf was jolted awake and nearly hit her head on the bed above her again. Those darn girls were still at it, complete with fangirl screams…

"Ugh…" Leaf groaned as she laid back in her bed, "…Why Volkner…? Of all people?"

"Ooo! Did you say _Volkner_? He's _SO_ dreamy!"

"Eeeeee! I know! I saw him on TV yesterday, and he-!"

"Seriously?" Leaf asked loudly, interrupting them all, "He's like twenty-four or something! He's _never _going to get with some fourteen year old girl!"

"Hey! You never know!" one of the girls said indignantly.

"Well, I know one thing for sure," Leaf began as she looked over at Knuckles. He was sitting in the corner twitching in suppressed rage. Obviously, these girls were driving him crazy as well with their incessant chattering, "I'm _out_!"

"What? Where are you going to go?"

"Anywhere but here," Leaf answered as she gathered up her bag and motioned to Knuckles to follow her out.

Leaf breathed a sigh of relief after she shut the door to the dorm room and was finally welcomed by the pure silence of the empty hallway. This was much better. She and Knuckles headed off to the lobby where Leaf pushed together enough of the cozy chairs to 'build' a sort of makeshift bed for herself.

"Good night, Knuckles," Leaf said contently after she snuggled underneath the blanket she stole from her bed, "I think now we'll actually be able to get some decent sleep…"

Knuckles hummed in agreement and pretended to meditate. However, his stance didn't really last too long since he fell asleep a few minutes later.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Yes, Leaf's dream was really weird. I thought of it a long time ago actually, when I was watching this odd play. Well, it wasn't that odd really… and it had great themes and whatnot. However, these themes were kind of played out after a while, and I kind of got the point right away. So, I got bored. And when I get bored, I sometimes think of weird ideas. Well… you see, the actor in the play was wearing what I could only accurately describe as… puffy 'Lucario shorts' along with black tights. So, I guess this style of clothing just got me to wondering what if Knuckles was in a play, and well… this happened. Sorry if it was a little weird at first, but I really wanted to try my hand at Old English… And I figured that this was the only tangible, semi-realistic way to do it? Well, the actual play that I watched was not Old English, but it did have some romance in it… so I guess that's where all the creepy and stupid romance junk that Knuckles was spouting off was sort of based from… But ultimately, the main thing I was going for was the funny Chatot insanity and the interesting little twist with Volkner at the end. Please let me know what you think!

And yes, another chapter filled with filler… I don't know what I've been thinking lately. But honestly, the next chapter should get things rolling again.

That said, I have to say that I have a LOT of homework lately, and I think this trend will continue for the rest of the semester. I have an evil, hardcore French history prof who just seems like her pleasure in life is to give out insane amounts of homework. And I'm not one to complain about homework; I can actually be pretty efficient with it most of the time.

So anyway, it may take me a while to come up with new chapters; it may not. It all depends how well I manage my time. I'm getting used to it, though, so hopefully, it won't be too bad. Thanks for reading!


	62. Chapter 62: Salamence in the Sky

"Leaf?"

Leaf twitched when she felt someone tapping her arm.

"Leaf? You need to wake up; Nurse Joy doesn't want you sleeping out here…"

"W-what?" Leaf asked wearily as she opened her eyes to see Riley standing over her.

"Good morning. Nurse Joy sent me over to wake you… What are you doing over here anyway? Why aren't you in the dorm?"

"Oh, uh… My, uh, room-mates were driving me crazy so… yeah…" Leaf explained groggily as she started to sit up.

"Oh," Riley said awkwardly.

They were silent for several seconds, and Leaf suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that she was still in her pajamas with both her hair and teeth un-brushed. She must've looked like a total mess in front of Riley, and that sure was embarrassing… especially since he always looked so polished and presentable… well, aside from his hair, that is.

"Er… um…! I'll be back in a second!" Leaf said hurriedly as she gathered up her blanket and took off, "Do me a favor and don't wake up Knuckles. He's probably really tired, and he's not bothering anyone over there, okay?"

"…Sure thing…" Riley blinked.

Leaf ran back to the dorm to find all of the annoying girls from before fast asleep in bed. 'This would totally be the perfect opportunity to extract revenge for last night,' she realized as she replaced the blanket neatly back in its place. However, she promptly shook it off and went off into the bathroom to freshen up for the day instead. Revenge wasn't always worth it. Besides, those girls were just most likely just excited newbies. She probably would have been the same way if she were in their shoes.

Speaking of shoes… Leaf frowned as she picked up her boots. They certainly weren't very nice looking anymore, considering all the bite marks scarring their surfaces. She set them aside and dug around in her bag until she found what she was looking for.

'These are a little old, but they'll do,' Leaf decided after she laced up her tennis shoes. Then she smirked as she thought up the perfect thing to do with her ugly boots, 'Consider this a gift from me to you,' Leaf thought to herself as she placed her boots beside the messy pile of the girls' belongings. It looked pretty natural amongst their things, so she smiled in triumph. No use in wasting solid boots.

After all of that, Leaf made her way back to the lobby to find Riley reading the paper. She was glad to see that Knuckles was still asleep on the floor beside him. At least someone was getting enough sleep…

"Anything weird happening?" Leaf asked Riley as she sat beside him and started to pull out her laptop.

Riley jumped. Obviously he hadn't noticed her return up till now, "Oh! Um, no… It doesn't seem like it…"

"Nothing on Team Galactic?" Leaf frowned. What the Heatran were they up to? Were they biding their time for some reason?

"Nope. Nothing on them," Riley answered, "… But there is an article on the Lustrous Orb… Apparently it's gone missing…"

"Lustrous Orb? What is that?"

"Supposedly the Lustrous Orb was used to summon Palkia in ancient times… It's an important relic kept in a famous museum near Celestic Town… I don't understand how something so valuable could just go missing without a trace like this…"

"Okay… So, Palkia is…?"

"A legendary Pokémon."

"Well then, do you suppose Team Galactic stole this fancy orb?" Leaf suggested, "I mean, messing with legendary Pokémon clearly seems to be up their alley…"

"Maybe…" Riley said thoughtfully, "I wonder why they would want it…"

"Well, I have no idea but," Leaf turned to her laptop, "at least they aren't bugging us right now."

"That certainly is a nice relief, to be sure," Riley agreed as his gaze returned to the newspaper.

"Hey, now that I think of it… Both Team Galactic and Hunter J haven't bothered us once since we met Toby! I betcha he's our lucky charm!"

"Maybe," Riley chuckled.

Leaf frowned as she gazed over her emails, "Whoa! I already got a response from Professor Rowan!"

"Hm? What? You wrote to Professor Rowan? I thought you said you've been putting that off…"

"No, I just sent him an email the other day… But anyway…" Leaf scanned the contents of the message once again to be sure, "He wants me to meet some professor named Carolina… in Celestic Town…"

"Ah! Professor Carolina!" Riley smiled, "I've worked with her before! When do you need to meet her?"

"Today, actually…" Leaf said sheepishly, "I probably should have checked my email yesterday…"

"That's alright. It will be easy enough to get there on my Salamence."

"But what about Toby? There's no way Salamence can carry all three of us…"

"Toby has a Staraptor. I'm certain that will suffice for him. If he decides he wants to come along, that is."

"I sure hope he does. He's already kind of grown on me... I'd miss him."

"I'm pretty sure he will decide to come along," Riley smiled, "Speaking of…"

"Toby is awake now!" Toby grinned as he walked over to them, "…Toby have dumb dreams last night! Well, Toby always have dumb dreams… Riley and Leaf is happy today?"

"Toby! I need to meet with a professor in Celestic Town today," Leaf explained, "Riley's coming as well, so you will too, right?"

"Yes! Toby come! When leave?"

"As soon as possible," Riley answered as Leaf started to shut down her computer.

"Oh! Knuckles still sleep!" Toby noticed, "Toby wake Knuckles now!"

Leaf was too busy putting away her laptop to notice, so Toby promptly followed through on this decision, "KNUCKLES! WAKE NOW!" he shrieked inches away from the poor Lucario's face. Knuckles was jolted awake and even smashed the back of his head against the wall from the shock.

"Toby! What is _wrong _with you? Are you trying to give my Lucario a heart attack?" Leaf exclaimed angrily.

"Toby must scream to wake Grovyle…" Toby shrugged, "And Pikachu, too! Slugma _never_ wake though… Toby scream hundred times, and it not work ever…"

"…You shout at your Pokémon to wake them up?" Riley raised an eyebrow at his cousin, "…How are you related to me again?"

"Well, honestly, _don't_ scream at _my _Pokémon!" Leaf said indignantly after she had patted Knuckles' shoulder comfortingly.

"Toby is bad…" Toby sighed, "Toby is sorry… Toby not mean to attack Knuckles' heart…"

Knuckles grumbled. It was fine. At first he had had the idea that he was being awakened by Byron…

"Byron?" Leaf laughed, "Why would _he _be here?"

Knuckles shrugged. Stranger things have happened.

"Can't argue with that," Leaf admitted, "But anyway, we have to get going off to Celestic Town to see a professor today… I was thinking of just letting you sleep since you're going to have to be in your Pokéball for the trip anyway…"

"Oh well," Riley shrugged. Knuckles just glared at Toby, who gave him a sheepish smile in return.

"Well, no use in standing around," Leaf sounded out as she slung her bag onto her shoulders, "Let's go!"

"Come on out, Salamence!" Riley cried as soon as they stepped out of the Pokémon Center. His dragon type appeared in a flash of red light, and immediately scurried over to greet Leaf.

"Staraptor!" Toby called out as he released his giant bird. As soon as Staraptor emerged from his Pokéball, he immediately took to the skies to stretch his wings.

"WAAAIT! NO Staraptor! Toby need to fly too!" Toby cried and ran after his Pokémon on foot.

"Time to return to your Pokéball for now, Knux," Leaf remarked after she had petted Salamence. Knuckles grumbled in displeasure as he was sucked inside.

"You ready to go?" Riley asked and politely offered his arm to her after he had positioned himself atop Salamence's back.

"Yeah… except… do you think Toby'll be able to catch up to his Staraptor…?"

"I hope so," Riley shrugged, "Only one way to find out."

"Right... Let's go then," Leaf agreed hesitantly and climbed up onto the dragon's back behind Riley. She managed to hold back a sigh as she awkwardly wrapped her arms around him. Flying certainly wasn't her favorite thing to do…

"Alright, Salamence. Let's see if we can't catch up to Toby and his Staraptor. After that, we need to head to Celestic Town. You remember where that is, right?"

Salamence looked thoughtful for a moment, but then he nodded affirmatively.

"Good. Then let's go!"

Leaf snapped her eyes shut and clung to Riley as she felt the familiar lurch in her stomach signifying take off. She definitely hated this.

Luckily, it didn't take them too long to find Toby, and he had already managed to secure his ride atop Staraptor. After that, they headed for Celestic Town.

After a long ride, Riley finally announced that they had passed over the ocean and were now situated over the mainland of Sinnoh. Leaf was slightly relieved to hear that. The only thing worse than traveling one hundred feet in the air was traveling a hundred feet over the endless depths of the ocean.

"Are you holding up fine, Leaf?" Riley asked her after a while.

"Well enough…" Leaf grumbled.

"Toby love to fly!" Toby sang out as Staraptor spun upside down a few times just for fun.

Leaf could only roll her eyes. But before she had a chance to say anything about that, she abruptly took notice of two tiny figures in the clouds ahead, "Hey, what's that?"

"Hm? What?" Riley blinked. Salamence barreled on through the clouds, and suddenly the two Trainers beheld two very familiar Pokémon before them.

"…Mesprit…?" Leaf blinked. But why on earth were there _two _of them?

The two Mesprit merely stared back at the stunned Trainers for a few moments. Leaf could have sworn she saw one of them smirk. But the next second, a fiery blast erupted from the nearby clouds, and the two Mesprit flew off in a flash. Salamence reared back in fear, but Riley managed to calm him. Leaf might have been afraid from such an abrupt adjustment, but the next sight consumed her with a feeling worse than that fear, "Hunter… J…!"

"You…!" Hunter J seethed.

"Uh oh!" Toby cried as he and Staraptor glided past, "Bad lady is here!"

"You don't know how right you are…" Riley groaned before attempting to steer Salamence in a different direction, "We need to get a move on, Salamence! Get _out _of here now!"

"I don't know _HOW _you managed to escape last time, but you WON'T _this _time!" Hunter J shrieked as her Salamence shot a Hyper Beam their way.

Riley's Salamence narrowly dodged the attack, and flew off at top speed. Leaf tightened her grip on Riley and fought the urge to scream. She knew this wasn't going to be a fun ride…

"Attack, Salamence!" Hunter J ordered savagely. Her Salamence kept delivering Flamethrower after Flamethrower, and it was certainly no small feat for Riley's to be able to dodge them all.

"Keep it up, Salamence!" Riley cried, "Just focus on evading her attacks!"

Leaf couldn't stop herself from screaming now. Salamence kept darting every which way, turning upside down, doing everything he could to dodge the endless torrent of attacks from Hunter J. Leaf's entire field of vision was swirling, and she could only just barely manage to maintain her place on the Pokémon's back. If she let go of Riley for even a second, she knew she'd fall off.

"Why… lady… hate… Riley… and… Leaf… so much?" Toby managed to ask as his Staraptor evaded the attacks by gliding in and out of the clouds.

"Just focus on not getting hit!" Riley shot back. His Salamence was a little reckless, and he was having trouble directing him. Leaf's screaming wasn't exactly helping with his concentration either.

"You WILL surrender to my might!" Hunter J laughed as her Salamence continued his vicious assault.

"SQUAAAWK!" a thunderous cry rang out.

Hunter J turned sharply to see the source of the sound and gasped at the sight. A Moltres had charged out of the clouds and attacked her with a mighty Flamethrower of its own. J's Salamence faltered and recoiled slightly.

"Don't be coward!" Hunter J barked, "DESTROY IT!"

'Now's our chance!' Riley realized and urged his Salamence to get out of there.

Whilst Hunter J and her Salamence were locked in heated combat against the formidable Moltres, Riley and Toby quickly directed their Pokémon to find cover in the forest amongst all the trees. They landed as soon as they were out of sight.

"I think it might be best if we walk to Celestic Town from here on out," Riley explained as he climbed off of Salamence's back, "…Are you alright, Leaf?"

Leaf didn't answer right away. She was obviously dazed by all the spinning they had done in midair, and her hair looked like she had been caught in a severe windstorm, "I'm… fine… Just… fine…"

"Hahaha! Toby LOVE to fly! Must do again!" Toby laughed happily as he practically rolled off of his Staraptor.

"I'm sorry about the rough ride, Leaf, but it had to be done…" Riley acknowledged as he offered his hand to help her to the ground.

"Yeah… I know…" Leaf sighed. Climbing down from Salamence's back turned out to be a lot harder than she imagined… Her legs felt like they were made of jelly, and she nearly lost her balance several times. If it weren't for Riley, she might have fallen over.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Riley asked as he attempted to steady her.

"Yeah… I'm fine… Thanks."

Moments later, Knuckles popped out of his Pokéball on his own and stared at Leaf with a bewildered look on his face. What had _happened_ to her?

"Uh, yeah… Maybe I need to brush my hair or something before I go to see Professor Carolina, huh?" Leaf said sheepishly, "I doubt I look very professional, to say the least…"

Salamence hummed in sympathy.

After a fairly long trek through Route 210, Leaf and the others finally reached Celestic Town. It was even sleepier than Solaceon Town; Leaf doubted that there'd be more than thirty people living here. All the same, she assumed that the largest building might be lead to Professor Carolina, so that's where they headed.

"Knock! Knock! Toby is here!" Toby cried once they reached the door.

Leaf laughed nervously. Yeah, her team was just full of professionals…

Shortly after, the door opened to reveal an elderly woman in a lab coat, "Ah! Hello! If it isn't Riley! How nice to see you again! Who are your friends, dear?"

"Hi," Riley smiled politely, "This is Leaf; she's the—"

"Oh! Leaf! You're the researcher I'm to meet today, correct?"

"That's right," Leaf grinned and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you!"

"And who might you be?" Professor Carolina asked Toby.

"Toby is me!" Toby grinned, "Cousin of Riley!"

"Oh… Well, I see…"

"Anyway," Leaf said loudly so as to get everyone to focus on things other than Toby's odd speech patterns, "If I remember correctly, I believe you wanted to show us some kind of cave painting?"

"Oh yes; that's right," Carolina remembered, "It's right in the center of town. If you follow me, we can go there right now."

"What person paint in cave?" Toby asked with a confused look on his face.

"Just roll with it," Leaf shrugged.

It didn't take them long to reach the center of the village, and when they did, Leaf was surprised to see a sort of chicken coop in the center of the clearing. Just beyond the coop, the cave housing the paintings laid in wait.

"What's this, anyway?" Leaf indicated the chicken coop.

"That's a shrine erected hundreds of years ago," Professor Carolina answered, "Bears a striking resemblance to the shrine in Ilex Forest in Johto, no?"

"Oh…" Leaf mumbled sheepishly. And here, she thought it was a hen house…

Riley frowned at the shrine thoughtfully, "You're right, Professor… It truly does…"

"You've been to Johto?" Leaf looked surprised.

"Yes… It was a long time ago…"

"… So where is painting?" Toby looked very confused now. Were they still going to see it? Or were they just going to talk?

"Right through here," Professor Carolina smiled and led the way into the cavern. Once they were inside, Leaf looked around carefully. Honestly, it didn't look too spectacular. Just an average sized cavern with nothing in it. At the far end of the cave, she could see a sort of fresco on the wall of the cavern. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a depiction of a trio of Pokémon surrounding another Pokémon. Leaf couldn't really tell whether these three represented Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie or not. The painting was too old and damaged to tell. Even if they were, then what did the one on the center represent? It really wasn't… very clear at all.

"As you can see…" Professor Carolina began after they had all crowded around to look, "The images in this painting aren't very distant…"

Knuckles growled. No doubt about that. What was the point in coming all this way just to see a messed up painting?

Leaf was about to scold him for being so rude, but then she remembered that the professor probably couldn't even understand him anyway…

"However, after much consideration, my research team and I have decided that we believe the forms in this painting represent the Lake trio, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, respectively," Carolina continued as though no one had said anything (and as far as she knew, no one had), "The being in the middle must represent either Dialga or Palkia…!"

"Okay, I sort of know about Palkia already," Leaf shrugged, "But I really don't know anything about Dialga…"

"Both are Pokémon of legends," Carolina spoke passionately, "Dialga is known as the being of Time. Palkia is the being of Space. Together, the two have the power to control our very world! Their power is devastating! That being said, it is believed that both Pokémon appeared to the people of ancient times… Imagine their terror and awe at beholding such power! If the legend is true, then perhaps this painting is the product of that meeting!"

"Uh…" Leaf barely heard any of Carolina's passionate speech. She was still too busy trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Pokémon controlled time and space… "So, you're saying that _Pokémon _control time and space? Seriously? What the heck would happen if someone _caught _one of these Pokémon? I mean, one would be pretty strong, but the two… what if someone tried to destroy the entire world with these Pokémon…?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Carolina smiled as she shook her head, "Both Palkia and Dialga are said to live in separate dimensions parallel to our own… if they even exist, that is…"

"Oh… So it's all kind of… just a legend…?"

"Perhaps," Carolina just smiled.

"Phew… you were totally scaring me right there…" Leaf breathed a sigh of relief.

"However," Riley looked thoughtful, "if the legends _are _true… Was it the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs that the people of ancient times used to summon Dialga and Palkia?"

"That's a very good theory, Riley…" Carolina mused.

"Oh no!" Leaf looked panicked, "Somebody stole the Lustrous Orb already! Does that mean somebody's trying to summon them now? What are we going to do if somebody makes them stop time or destroy the fabric of space?"

"Calm down, dear!" Carolina looked a little taken aback by Leaf's panic, "You have nothing to worry about! My research team and I have already looked over that Orb. We tried everything, but we weren't able to summon anything. Whoever stole it would hardly have the equipment we have, so it's even less likely that they'll be able to come up with something we haven't already."

"Oh…" Leaf felt like an idiot once again.

"Perhaps the Lake trio needs to be present in order for them to be summoned…" Riley said thoughtfully.

"Oh my! Another plausible theory!" Carolina looked delighted, "Have you ever been interested in becoming a full-time researcher, Riley?"

"If that's true…" Leaf looked stricken, "Then _that _would explain why Team Galactic's after Azelf and the others…"

"Team who?" Carolina looked confused.

"Very bad people!" Toby explained.

"Ah! There you are, Professor Carolina! I must say… it's been far too long…" a voice said suddenly.

Everyone turned around to see a man in a business suit standing near the mouth of the cave. The only thing odd about him was his spiky blue hair. It really stood out amongst the rest of his rather formal attire.

"Oh! Cyrus! It's a pleasure to see you!" Carolina beamed, "Please! Allow us all to go back to my home so that I can introduce everyone properly!"

"A splendid idea…" the man named Cyrus replied. Although, something about his face made it appear as though meeting him was going to be an experience far less than splendid…

oOoOoOo

Notes: Finally a new chapter! I thought I'd _never _finish it!

Oh, I just finished editing chapter 30, and I have to say, I made a pretty big mistake on it… It's the chapter where Leaf battles with Gardenia. In it, I accidently referred to Turtwig as Grotle. I'm surprised no one caught it, especially since I kept talking about how fast and small it was. Oh well, at least I haven't confused Grovyle with Grotle yet. That's the one I really have trouble with. I remember watching Grovyle return to the future on TV, and I was saying, "Aw, poor Grotle…" and everyone just turns and laughs. Anyway, yeah, it's fixed now.

Have a nice Valentine's Day!


	63. Chapter 63: The 'Charming' Cyrus

Carolina beamed happily as she politely began to introduce the trainers to Cyrus in her humble Japanese style home. Her house was really quite beautiful in a quaint sense, but Leaf didn't really have the concentration to fully appreciate it. Cyrus kept giving her the "evil eye", and it was really starting to freak her out. It was one of those times where she wished she just could hide under her hat like Riley… Maybe having a 'mysterious look' really does have its advantages…

"… And this is Cyrus! He's a very clever businessman and has very generously supported Pokémon research for years!" Carolina continued with a bright and happy smile.

"Oh, you exaggerate…" Cyrus said smoothly, "There is no future that doesn't involve Pokémon. I feel it is my duty to help expand the knowledge of such creatures. There is no _power_… without knowledge."

"Cyrus, I'd love for you to hear more about Leaf! … Leaf, dear," Carolina finally reached out to take Leaf's hand since she had started an attempt to fade into the background amongst her taller friends. Once that was accomplished, she promptly led her before Cyrus, "She's a promising young researcher! Professor Oak has told me much about her!"

"Researcher, hmm?" Cyrus looked her over closely, "Tell me… why are you dressed in such a fashion? The researchers of all regions wear lab coats, do they not?"

"I only work in the field," Leaf pointed out, "Lab coats aren't required."

Knuckles practically shoved Toby aside in order to return to Leaf's side. This house was too small!

"I see… And what might you be working on now?" Cyrus asked, a slight leer forming on his face.

Leaf turned back to Carolina as if to ask whether she should reveal her mission, but Carolina merely urged her to speak. Cyrus was a friend of hers, and she seemed to think nothing of the question. Leaf turned back to Cyrus and hesitantly met his gaze. There was something off about this guy… Judging by the creepy glares alone, she didn't really want to say much more than was absolutely necessary.

Leaf suddenly looked down at the floor as though she was feeling embarrassed although she actually used the motion as a bit of a cover up for stealing a quick glance at Knuckles. Once she caught his eye, he gave his head the slightest shake. It was barely perceptible; Leaf felt lucky that she even noticed it.

She returned her gaze to Cyrus and met his harsh gaze with a steady one of her own, "I came to Sinnoh to study the Legendary Bird trio, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres… Would you believe they traveled here all the way from Kanto? I'm here to find out why that is."

"Oh… I'm sure you are…" Cyrus said darkly.

"Oh my! Isn't that exciting!" Carolina broke in happily, "What a wonderful topic to consider! Imagine the possibilities!"

Cyrus lost interest and finally broke eye contact with the young trainer. He appeared to only be half-listening to Carolina. His thoughts seemed focused elsewhere.

"Have you decided to offer your assistance, Riley? I'm sure you're interested in the mystery as well!" Carolina continued enthusiastically, all wrapped up in her academia-filled reverie.

"Yes, exactly," Riley nodded politely.

"You're a researcher as well?" Cyrus asked suddenly.

"No…"

"Then what are you?" Cyrus snapped.

"I'm… just a traveling trainer…"

"And that's all?" Cyrus' leer returned.

"Don't underestimate him, Cyrus," Carolina broke in, "Riley is quite capable. I recently worked with him, in fact. I'm certain he could become a fine researcher if he so desired. He has a very gifted mind."

Riley cleared his throat and quickly adjusted his hat on his head.

This seemed to snap Carolina out of her train of thought, "… Oh my! How rude of me! I never asked the reason why you came today, Cyrus! Did you need something?"

"Nothing tangible, no," Cyrus responded, his business-like tone returning, "But there was a matter I wished to discuss. The Lustrous Orb… I've heard that it has gone missing…"

"Oh yes…" Carolina turned downcast, "A priceless artifact of the Sinnoh region… gone without a trace… Officer Jenny has looked into it, but she hasn't a clue…"

"Not a single clue…?" Cyrus repeated, his eyes bulging slightly.

Carolina merely shook her head sadly.

"Do they even _understand_ the gravity of the situation?" Cyrus' harsh tone steadily returned, "This is more than a mere _artifact_! It holds the key to Space itself! Do the _fools _even realize?"

"Um, well… I…" This time, even Carolina looked a little taken aback by the anger in his voice.

Cyrus continued ranting as though she hadn't said anything, "The power of ALL WORLDS rests within these very two orbs! How ON EARTH could they just _let_ such POWER slip out of their hands? … They don't deserve that power… HOW _COULD _THEY _EVER _HOPE TO _USE _IT IF THEY CAN'T EVEN _GUARD_ IT FROM A SIMPLE THIEF! THE FOOLS! THEY DON'T EVEN _REALIZE _THE POWER WHICH LIES DORMANT! BUT _I _DO!" Cyrus' voice rose louder and louder with each word he uttered in his increasingly suspicious harangue. His eyes were bulging; the veins on his neck were clearly visible… The guy looked like he had gone utterly insane.

Knuckles widened his stance and started to snarl. Everyone else just stared. Seriously, had the guy knocked a few screws loose? What could have possibly set him off like this…?

"Cyrus, please!" Carolina suddenly cried out valiantly, "Calm down!"

Cyrus paused and swiftly took notice of the fact that he had gone off on a crazed tirade. He took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak, "… I apologize… I suppose that I just became UPSET at the gravity of such a SERIOUS situation…" Cyrus' voice had considerably calmed, but a few strained and suppressed traces of anger rang out clearly.

"Uh… Whoa… I think we should…" Leaf anxiously pointed her thumb at the door, "Yeah… I think we should go… now…"

"Oh? So soon?" Carolina looked disappointed.

"No!" Cyrus yelled suddenly, "I mean… we've hardly gotten to know one another yet…" he added quickly to cover for his latest outburst.

"Oh, I think we have…" Leaf raised an eyebrow slightly, "But anyway, uh, we've really got to go… Um… Riley's, uh, Salamence is, uh, sick! So, we have to… you know… take him to the Pokémon Center…? Yeah, that's it!"

Toby looked confused and opened his mouth to question her words, but Leaf promptly stepped on his foot.

"Oh my!" Carolina looked concerned, "Is the poor Pokémon alright?"

"Oh yeah," Leaf said quickly, "He just caught… like… a cold or something… But it's _really _contagious… So we _really _need to get out of here before any other Pokémon catch it…"

"I've never heard of such a disease…" Cyrus began suspiciously.

"Oh no! Look! I think Knuckles has already caught it!" Leaf cried out quickly in order to get everyone to forget about reason, "Quick! Pretend you're sick!" she whispered in her Pokémon's ear.

Knuckles promptly let out a loud moan and slumped backward in Leaf's arms as though he had lost all strength in his body.

"Oh my word!" Carolina cried and clutched her heart in concern, "The poor thing! You must hurry! Run along and take him to Nurse Joy! She'll know what to do!"

"Yeah, totally…" Leaf grunted as she struggled to hold up Knuckles. He must have had complete trust in her, having practically fallen over backwards and yet still believing that she'd be able to catch him and manage to keep him from smashing his head on the floor. It was only too bad he was really heavy.

"Knuckles is sick?" Toby asked curiously and walked up to get a closer look, "Ah, okay! Knuckles not stand good, so Toby bring Knuckles to Nurse woman!" And with that, Toby scooped up the Lucario in his arms and headed for the door.

"Um, okay… Bye Professor!" Leaf said quickly and hurried out the door.

Riley hung back for a few moments in order to say good-bye to Carolina properly, but she merely ushered him out the door, "You have to attend to your sick Pokémon, Riley! Don't mind me; hurry along now!"

"Good-bye then," Riley said awkwardly and followed after the others.

"Yes… Good… bye…" Cyrus responded darkly.

As soon as they were far enough out of sight from Professor Carolina's house, Knuckles flailed around violently in Toby's arms in order to escape, "What? Knuckles is _not _sick?" Toby exclaimed, and the Lucario finally had the opportunity to jump back down to the ground.

"No, he was only faking so that we could get away from Cyrus," Leaf explained, "In case you haven't noticed, the dude is creepy, and we really don't want to stick around with people like that asking a bunch of questions and breathing down our backs!"

"Cyrus is crazy man…" Toby agreed thoughtfully, "Toby not like Cyrus much. Weird Aura."

"Did you get a good look at his Aura?" Riley asked Knuckles.

"You don't _need _to look at his aura!" Leaf exclaimed, "Just _listening _to the guy is enough!"

Knuckles had to nod in agreement to that before answering. All signs pointed to the man as trouble. There was no doubt about it. They were better off staying as far from Cyrus as possible.

Riley listened blankly to Knuckles' grunts and growls for a few minutes before looking to Leaf for a translation.

"Basically, he says the guy's aura is malevolent. So we should probably get out of here soon."

"I don't understand…" Riley said thoughtfully, "Why would Professor Carolina be on friendly terms with such a person?"

Leaf sighed, "Look, professors are brilliant people, Riley, but sometimes they tend to lack common sense."

Riley gave her a look of remote alarm and definite confusion.

"Okay…" Leaf chuckled at herself, "So maybe 'common sense' isn't the right idea… I guess I meant to say street smarts instead…"

Toby stretched and let out a huge yawn. Sometimes he hardly knew what Leaf and Riley were even talking about, "…Toby can buy Pokéballs now? Before all leave?"

"Okay, sure; let's get your Pokéballs, but then we have to get out of here. I really don't want to stick around much longer," Leaf agreed and already started to quicken her pace (even though she had no idea in which direction the Pokémart was located in this town).

"We'll be fine, Leaf…" Riley assured her, "There's no need to be worried. I highly doubt he'd have the nerve to follow us."

"Still. I want to get going…" Leaf narrowed her eyes and stopped suddenly, "Wait a second! There isn't even a Pokémart here!"

"Yes, there is… It's right over there," Riley pointed at an inconspicuous building on the other side of town, "It's owned by an elderly couple, so I suppose it's not your typical Pokémart."

So they headed back around the entire town (which obviously didn't take too long) to reach the shop. While they were there, Toby chatted enthusiastically with the old couple. They both seemed to adore Toby's charming personality, rather than just giving him odd looks merely because he spoke strangely. Leaf wanted to be more cheerful for him than she felt, but she just couldn't shake this nagging feeling that she had to get out of there. It was strange; she hadn't felt this way since she visited Pastoria City and caught sight of Team Galactic. How could Cyrus have such a strong effect on her? She'd run into plenty of strange and just plain crazy people before… Like the clowns for instance. But still… something seemed different this time…

"Leaf? Are you… alright? Is something wrong?" Riley asked suddenly.

Leaf snapped out of her trance and broke out into fake laughter, "Oh, yeah! I'm fine! Nothing to worry about!"

Knuckles merely grunted in disbelief. It's impossible to hide from their Aura senses, so why did she even bother lying to them?

"Oh, aren't you cute?" Leaf patted him on the head and pretended like she hadn't heard a word he just said, much to the Pokémon's annoyance, "Oh hey, Toby! You've got everything you need?"

"Yes! Toby is ready!" he beamed, "Where all go next?"

"Good question. We've no idea…" Leaf shrugged as they all made their way to the door. Really… where _were _they going to go? It wasn't as though she had a specific objective anymore. Ever since they had found out that Uxie was missing, Leaf really hadn't a clue what she was supposed to do next. Was she going to hide away like an old hermit and protect Azelf all her life? Or try to find Mesprit (otherwise known as the needle in a gargantuan haystack)? Both options sounded… less than appealing.

"I suppose we could always return to collecting badges…" Riley suggested after a long silence, "You still needed two right, Leaf?"

"That's right…" Leaf began, "But honestly, I-" but she stopped mid-sentence once she realized just who had emerged from the building they were about to pass by…

"You three!" Cyrus exclaimed the moment he took notice, "What are you doing here?"

"Leaf?" Professor Carolina was at his side, and she looked equally confused, "Why aren't you at the Pokémon Center?"

"Oh we…" Leaf let out plenty of nervous and fake laughter. She was going to get it now… "We… yeah, um… we already went… there…!"

"I thought thatPokémon was sick!" Cyrus pointed at Knuckles accusingly, "Certainly looks fine to me! That was awfully fast now, wasn't it?"

"Oh, it's…" Leaf was grasping for straws, "… a miracle?" she supplied and gave a weak smile. Knuckles just gave a sheepish grin and spread his arms in a 'ta-dah' kind of fashion.

"Tell me now…" Cyrus said coldly as he folded his arms over his chest and glared at Leaf, "What reason do you have for being so… deceitful…?"

"Uh, have you met my Chatot?" Leaf asked hastily and quickly scrambled around the contents of her bag.

"Who?" Professor Carolina frowned in confusion.

Without pausing to answer, Leaf promptly pressed the release button on his pokéball, and seconds later, Blathers appeared in a flash of red light. Without warning, he charged at Cyrus and shrieked, "_WHAT __IS__ THIS_? DID YOU REALLY THINK THAT I WAS GOING TO ROLL OVER AND _DIE_ FROM AN ATTACK LIKE THAT! I AM A _WARRIOR_! I AM… _SPARTA_!"

Cyrus stared. He momentarily seemed to be at a loss for words, but eventually managed to open his mouth, "... What?"

"Do a barrel roll!" Blathers commanded, "Do it now, Cyrus, you freak!" And he wasn't finished there… "Hey baby," he turned to Professor Carolina, "You wanna go for a ride?" he asked in a deep, seductive voice.

"Oh my…?" Professor Carolina could only stare in utter confusion.

"Whoa!" Leaf cried out suddenly, adding to the confusion, "Look! It's MOLTRES!" she exclaimed loudly and pointed behind Cyrus and Carolina.

The two turned to look, and the second they did, "RUN!" Leaf whispered loudly and urgently.

Riley balked. They couldn't just _run_ away! That was so… rude!

But Leaf and the others took off at high speed, so he had no choice but to follow.

"HEY! _WHERE_ do you THINK you're GOING?" Cyrus roared once he turned back around. The only thing that made him angrier than being tricked into thinking that there was a legendary Pokémon behind him was the fact that he had had them right under his thumb! Just a little further, and the girl would have cracked and divulged all her secrets! He had her on the ropes, but she had somehow managed to out-wit him with a Chatot! A Chatot! Of all Pokémon! He didn't like being contested (especially not by ridiculous antics), and these pathetic children were going to find that out soon…

"Oh my…!" Carolina remarked somewhat breathlessly, "They must be in quite a hurry, no?"

Cyrus merely ignored her, and quietly seethed in pure rage.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Sorry, but I just _had _to poke fun at the way Cyrus acted in the anime. Seriously, he goes off on a crazy tirade right in front of Ash and company, and they just kind of stand there and do nothing. And then someone changes the subject, and they all forget about it. You'd think one would take a just little more notice when a supposed 'ordinary' business man is screaming about ultimate power and glory like a crazy madman. Just saying.

Anyway, I'm thinking the next chapter is going to have a bit of PokéPal action. We're going to need a bit of a break because things are going to get very interesting soon afterward.

Well, thank you for sticking with me for so long!


	64. Chapter 64: Blathers the Dictator

Leaf, Toby, and Knuckles paused for breath once they reached a small clearing somewhere along Route 210. Leaf figured they were far enough away from Celestic Town by now, so they were finally safe!

"Leaf!" Riley wheezed as he finally caught up to the others, "What were you… thinking!"

"Well, I don't know!" Leaf folded her arms over her chest, "I didn't have any better ideas! I knew they wouldn't follow us if we randomly took off running, so I went with it!"

"How'd ya know dey wouldn' folla us?" Blathers asked in a fake country accent.

"Well, you know… I guess professors and businessmen don't run around in the forest. They must be too… orderly or something," Leaf shrugged, "They probably see it as uncouth. Not sure why, though… I'm just glad I'm not that way..."

"Leaf!" Riley raised his voice slightly to regain her attention. She was just going off on a tangent again, "You're missing the point! That was completely rude to just take off without a word like that! What if Professor Carolina tells Professor Oak about all this? You could be admonished for acting like this…"

"Yeah, maybe… But I guess I'm not so worried about that… I mean, I guess it's already been done, so… it's too late to change it now," Leaf shrugged once again, "Though… I do feel bad for being rude to Professor Carolina… But really! It's not like I had a choice! I couldn't think of anything else!"

"Riot!" Blathers screamed.

"No!" Leaf scowled at him before turning back to Riley, "Listen, I'd rather we run away like idiots than have to come up with another lie. I figured the best thing to do was to just duck and run. Lying to cover up another lie just doesn't work. I didn't want to drive myself further into the hole."

"Why did you even lie in the first place?" Riley sighed.

"Did you even _see_ Cyrus? The guy was holding a tirade right in front of us! And if he found out I had Azelf, he would have blabbed to the entire _world_!"

Riley just shrugged, "Right… Well… at any rate, there's nothing we can do about it now. No use in arguing about it any longer, I suppose…"

"I've come for your pickle!" Blathers sang out in a nasally voice.

"Oh yes!" Toby grinned, "Toby love pickle!"

Leaf's stomach growled, "Speaking of food, maybe we should stop to eat something, huh?"

oOoOoOo

After Toby finished his delicious meal (Leaf had called it "Ramen noodles"), he looked around at all of his friends. It was great eating together with both of his friends and all of their Pokémon. But… it felt like someone was missing. Both Leaf and Riley had six Pokémon each, didn't they? Then… why was there only… Oh, right. Leaf had another Pokémon that he had never seen before. What was its name again?

"Leaf?" Toby asked, "Azelf is where?"

"In his Ultra Ball," Leaf responded shortly.

Toby frowned, "Today is nice day. Why Leaf not let Azelf come out?"

"It's just not safe enough, okay?" Leaf answered with a sigh. She hated leaving Azelf out on everything all the time, but… it really was for his own safety. What if Hunter J suddenly showed up? Or more understandably, a random passerby who happened to take too much notice and told nearly everyone he knew? Word of mouth tended to spread a lot faster than one would imagine. Especially when you're talking about a rare Pokémon… She just didn't want to risk it.

"But Azelf is hungry!" Toby insisted, "When Azelf ever eat food?"

Leaf let out another sigh and rested her head in her hand before answering, "Toby… you do know about the legends that say that Azelf was around when Sinnoh was created by Arceus, right? Supposedly, he was the one who gave everyone their courage and willpower, right? I mean, even I've pretty much figured that out by reading some random sign! So, I'm sure you've at least heard of this legend? You know, since you grew up here in Sinnoh?"

"Yes… Toby hear from Toby dad…"

"So then… if we assume all that to be completely true…" Leaf continued, "Then did you honestly think that Azelf has lived on the earth just like everyone else for all this time? Well, he hadn't! He was in a state of slumber when I found him…

"That means he didn't need to eat for a very long time," Leaf quickly explained when she noticed Toby's very confused-looking expression, "And I'm assuming that he's in that same state right now in my Ultra Ball."

"Not to mention," Riley added thoughtfully, "If a Trainer doesn't train their Pokémon for a long time, and the Pokémon remains in their Pokéball for good while, the Pokémon doesn't expend as much energy... Therefore, the Trainer doesn't have to feed that Pokémon as regularly. It's only when a Pokémon battles very frequently and often stays outside of its Pokéball that the Pokémon has to be fed much more frequently."

Toby looked doubtful, "Well, Staraptor is always hungry! All the time!"

Everyone looked over at Staraptor, who was now hungrily attacking his bowl of Ramen. He abruptly looked up in surprise when he took notice of all the sudden attention and in the process, forgot to wipe off the cluster of noodles hanging off of his beak. He then merely gave a sheepish noodle-covered grin to his new-found audience.

"Right…" Leaf said in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had ensued, "Well… I guess every Pokémon is different…"

oOoOoOo

Blathers was marching down a very impressive hallway of a very awe-inspiring ship whilst highly dramatic music played in the background. Yes, dramatic music had to be playing. After all, Blathers was the newly appointed dictator of the Western Quadrant. Dramatic music always needed to be played in the presence of such an evil tyrant. It was what all maniacal overlords required!

"Ready my fleet!" Blathers commanded the nearest Pokémon that had the misfortune of walking past him.

"What fleet?" the Pokémon, a young, particularly beady-eyed Patrat, asked stupidly.

"All of them!" Blathers waved his wing impatiently, "Just do it now!"

"But I don't even know you…"

"You idiot!" Blathers scowled, "I am the master of this ship! How can you possibly NOT know me?"

"Maybe it's because I'm from Unova…" the Patrat squeaked.

"WHAT?" Blathers bellowed.

"Well… some call it Isshu… Maybe you've… heard of that…?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Blathers screamed.

At that, the Patrat just ran off in fear from the mighty Chatot's booming voice.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Blathers said gruffly and abruptly turned around so that he could show off his super-scary cape, "Now… this is more like it…" he said approvingly as he made his way into his throne room and sat upon his little Chatot-sized throne.

All the Pokémon in the room bowed grandly once the tiny warlord took his seat.

Blathers cleared his throat loudly before he finally spoke to them, "Chatot's log! Star Date: 3.141592653589793238466264…"

"My liege," Knuckles interrupted politely with a formal looking bow.

"What IS it, Knuckles?" Blathers cried with annoyance, "You know better than to interrupt me when I'm citing the Star Date!"

"But this is important, sir," Knuckles insisted, "We've just received word that the rhinos are resisting takeover. They're a very hostile bunch, I'm afraid…"

"Rhinos?" Blathers looked utterly confused, "What are those?"

"Our sources indicate that they are a very tough breed of… Digimon, perhaps?"

"Hmm… that sounds serious… Well then," Blathers said thoughtfully, "Unleash the photogenic torpedoes!"

Beside him, the delicate Popuri gasped appropriately.

"Do you deem it wise, sir?" Knuckles asked, "Our torpedoes are quite… powerful…and not to mention… deadly. Do you believe this use of excessive force is warranted?"

"Of course!" Blathers declared, "We must destroy all Digimon! Er, I mean, enemies to my empire!"

"Very well," Knuckles nodded approvingly, "I shall inform your minions of your orders," And with that, he and all the other Pokémon left the throne room in an orderly fashion.

Popuri giggled. Blathers was so dramatic and awesome when he wanted to be.

"Ah, my queen," Blathers said lovingly as he turned to her. All the others had left now, so he was free to speak with her as embarrassingly as he desired, "Do you admire my super-awesome-ness?"

Popuri giggled sweetly.

"With you at my side, nothing will stop me, not even creatures from Unova or revolting rhinos!"

Popuri giggled again.

"Do you feel that I will be an awesome emperor?" Blathers asked.

Popuri giggled once again.

"What is wrong with you, my lady?" Blathers cried, "Can you do anything besides giggle cutely?"

Popuri slowly opened her mouth to respond. Blathers eagerly waited in anticipation. Perhaps she was one of those strong, but relatively silent types. Whenever she had to say, it had to be big. Strong and silent types were that way, right?

But when Popuri opened her sweet little bird beak, she didn't say something amazing or beautiful like Blathers had imagined. Instead, she burped.

"WHHHHAAAAAAAAT?" Blathers shrieked and was suddenly jolted awake from the horrible nightmare.

Riley, who had been sitting beside the sleeping bird the entire time, nearly jumped a foot in the air in surprise.

"Noooo!" Blathers wailed, "I'll never be able to see her in the same way _ever _again!"

"Who?" Riley frowned, obviously bewildered.

"Her beauty has been TAINTED!" Blathers wailed even louder.

"Um… Leaf is over there…" Riley offered, trying his best to help the clearly unhinged Chatot. Hopefully, Leaf would know how to calm him down…

"What is this?" Blathers exclaimed when he finally looked over in Popuri's direction, "A fearsome dragon has decided to _EAT_ her!"

oOoOoOo

Once Salamence finished his meat-free lunch (Yuck!), he sniffed the air carefully to check for amazing smells. The dragon then froze in shock and surprise. What was this enticing scent he sensed? It was nearly as lovely as Leaf's, and that was saying something. That trainer had the most heavenly scent. His nose twitched again, and he finally caught sight of the holder of the miraculous scent.

It was the little cotton bird! …What was her name again? Well, it didn't matter! Salamence was going to meet her!

"Hi!" the formidable dragon type said happily, "I'm Salamence! You smell nice!"

"Oh, really?" the little bird giggled coyly, "Um… I'm Popuri! It's really nice to meet you!"

"Oh, it is!" Salamence smiled as he inhaled the marvelous fragrance emanating off of the Swablu, "You smell as swell as your Trainer!"

"Really? Um, well, I don't think she uses any perfume or anything…" Popuri answered as the edges of her beak curved into a small and thoughtful-looking frown. Normally, she'd be thrilled that such a cool Pokémon would choose to talk to her but… wasn't this conversation a little… odd?

The little cotton Pokémon shrugged it off. No, it probably wasn't weird. After all, who knows what boys talk about? And this one was complimenting her! She was about to extend her thanks for the nice things he was saying to her when she suddenly noticed just who was heading over their way. Blathers…

"Fear not, dear damsel!" Blathers called out valiantly, "Blathers of the Home Museum will _slay_ this fearsome beast!"

"Blathers? What are you talking about?" Popuri figured she'd ask… although she knew she'd never receive a straight answer…

"Hi!" Salamence smiled at him, his normally fearsome-looking teeth positively radiating with a brilliant shine, "You're… Blathers aren't you?"

"Fool! Der is a big difference between your powerlypowa!" Blathers scoffed.

"What?" Salamence was, of course, quite puzzled by that statement.

"Blathers… please… Can you at least _pretend _to be slightly normal for once?" Popuri sighed.

"Snake? Snake? SNAAAAAAKE?" Blathers shrieked and looked around wildly for his lost and nonexistent companion.

"Uh… I'll…uh… see you later… I guess…" Salamence gave Blathers one last odd look before walking away.

"Wait…!" Popuri squeaked. Unfortunately, she was a little too quiet, and the dragon type continued to walk away, having not heard her.

The little blue bird sighed before looking over at Blathers, who began to argue with an invisible "Snake". How would she ever get normal Pokémon to notice her when she had such… weird friends? Well… maybe Blathers was worth it… Well, sort of, anyway…

oOoOoOo

Knuckles swallowed nervously as he cautiously approached his father. He hadn't spoken to him since their battle in Snowpoint, and well… he felt a little… unsure as to how his father perceived him. Knuckles knew full well that he wasn't the strongest Lucario around, but he had at least progressed quite rapidly. Hopefully, his father would overlook his shortcomings and not view him as… a disappointment.

Knuckles faltered in his steps. If he hadn't had Leaf as a Trainer… he doubted how great his confidence would be. She had never expected much of him (she seemed the type to allow all Pokémon to progress to their own ability as slowly as they needed), and he enjoyed shocking her with his strength. She was quite easy to please. Even when he lost, she didn't ever get upset with him. He, however, quite hated losing. Even though he knew how to come off as a rather confident-looking Lucario and was always eager to show off, deep down, his inner critic was… extremely harsh. Perhaps this inner critic was convincing enough to make him believe that his father didn't approve of him…

Knuckles inhaled deeply and forced himself to take the last few steps over to see his father.

Throughout this time, Rukario had been eating the last of his Ramen. He had trained himself to eat slowly so as to tame his primal cravings. He also ate while standing. He was pretty hard-core, even when it came to such simple rituals… like eating. Clearly he was much more focused and deliberate than the other Pokémon here.

Once his son fully approached, Rukario looked up from his noodles and stared rather blankly at Knuckles for a few seconds before turning back to his food.

Knuckles shuffled his feet nervously, "…Father?"

Rukario's ear twitched to indicate that he was listening.

"Do you…" Knuckles found it much easier to gaze at his father's feet rather than at his face, "Do you… find me… acceptable?"

Rukario set down his bowl carefully before turning to face his son, "Of course… You thought otherwise?"

"Well… I…" Knuckles looked up at the sky for a few seconds in embarrassment, "I suppose I… didn't really know… what to think…"

"Do not doubt yourself. You've become quite strong. Granted…" Rukario turned slightly and indicated Leaf who was chatting rather animatedly with Toby, "I was a little hesitant at first… when Riley decided to give her my egg… I thought she was a bit strange… But I trust Riley, and I knew he'd make the right decision. And it turns out…" Rukario turned back to Knuckles with a hint of smile on his face, "he was right."

oOoOoOo

"Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

Vegeta gritted his teeth. How _long_ had this been going on for?

"Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

Pikachu sighed. She was lying down quite contently on the grass, watching her best friend, Mudkip, speak. Granted, Mudkip wasn't actually even saying anything relevant at all… But that was beside the point.

"Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

Vegeta's brow twitched. He was curled up inside his shell, trying to take a nap. He had actually managed to doze off several minutes ago, but he had awoken to the sound of…

"Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

"I relly liek Mudkipz…!" Pikachu giggled.

"RAAAAARRR! ENOUGH ALREADY!" The mighty Vegeta roared as he suddenly blasted forth from his massive shell, arms, legs, and water cannons fully extended and poised for battle, "THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR TEN BLASTED MINUTES! I CAN'T _TAKE _IT ANYMORE!"

Naturally, Toby's Mudkip and Pikachu ran off screaming and crying from such a frightening display of rage.

Vegeta grimaced. Maybe he over-did it. Or maybe… he just hated Mudkipz.

"Actually, I kind of lieked the parts where he said, 'Mud' and 'Kip'…" Metagross piped up.

Oh, so he had been watching too. But then again… was there really anyone out there that had _not_ seen it before?

"Don't even start with me…" Vegeta sighed.

"What?"

"I SAID don't start with me! Do you understaaaaaaaaaaand?"

"Um, yes… I guess so…" Metagross looked confused. Clearly, the Blastoise had lost it.

"Vegeta!" Leaf cried out angrily as she made her way over to him.

Here it comes…

"How _could _you?" Leaf set her hands on hips, "Making other Pokémon cry like that… Honestly, I don't know _what _has gotten into you lately!"

"Ooooh!" Toby called out from her side, holding his teary-eyed Mudkip and Pikachu in his arms, "Vegeta is bad! Vegeta shout at Mudkip and Pikachu! Very not nice!"

Vegeta stared at the ground shamefully. Yes, it was true. He relly hated Mudkipz… Couldn't anyone understaaaaaaand?

oOoOoOo

"I'm… so… hungry…" Staraptor moaned. The large bird dragged his clawed feet against the ground as he sauntered across the land. Or rather… as he sauntered five steps before collapsing.

"Dude!" Pinsir turned to face the over-dramatic Staraptor, "What is _wrong_ with you? We _just _ate! How can you possibly be so hungry that you can hardly even walk?"

Staraptor blinked and wearily lifted his head to see who was speaking to him.

"Dude?" Pinsir's annoyed look turned to one of concern, "Are you alright?"

Staraptor's eyes widened.

"Honestly!" Pinsir griped, "Can't you at least answer me? Do you even _hear _me talking to you?"

Normally, if a Pinsir was beginning to show signals that suggested he might fly into a rage, people and Pokémon alike run for their lives. But not Staraptor. He only saw food.

"YUM! C'mere, buggy!" Staraptor licked his beak hungrily.

"Uh… You said 'buddy,' right?" Pinsir asked uneasily.

"Time for dinner!" Staraptor shrieked happily and suddenly flew up into the air, ready to dive down upon his new-found prey.

"Waagh!" Pinsir yelled like a little girl even though he had quite a low and deep voice, "Ursaring! HELP me!"

Ursaring suddenly snapped awake when he saw his buddy, Pinsir, leaping over his reposed body, "What the Heatran? Is somebody attacking us?"

"YES!" Pinsir screamed and ran away as fast as his bulky frame would allow.

"I hit the jackpot today!" Staraptor sang as he sailed after his prey, "Normally, I just have to settle for tiny Weedle! But today, I get a FEAST!"

"WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO _EAT_ MY FRIEND? YOU BARBARIAN!" Ursaring roared. There was no way he'd allow some crazed bird to eat Pinsir! That was madness! "IS THIS BECAUSE HE'S A BUG TYPE? HOW RACIST ARE YOU?"

Nearby, little Torchic trembled with fear as she watched the fearsome bear roar with fury and chase after the other Pokémon. She could only whimper quietly and try to hide her face behind her tiny wings while the other three hotheads ran around in a circle screaming, shouting, and generally causing a huge uproar.

"Please… stop… fighting…" the petite chick squeaked, "It doesn't… do anything… good… for… anybody…"

Torchic squeezed her eyes shut and shuddered. She hated the fighting, the shouting, the anger… When would it ever end?

"Huh?" the fiery chick squeaked when she noticed she was being lifted into the air. She opened her eyes and realized that Ki was now holding her in his arms.

"Don't worry about it," the blind Lucario told her quietly, "They're only playing."

"Right…Thank you, Ki…" Torchic whispered and snuggled closer. Like Toby, he always knew how to make her feel safe.

oOoOoOo

Espio's amethyst-colored fur rustled softly in the slight breeze as the psychic type reposed herself in the soft afternoon sunlight filtering in amongst the shade of the trees. She sighed slightly once she heard the tell-tale sounds of the other Pokémon wreaking havoc. Couldn't they ever get a grip?

"Hi!" a relatively unfamiliar voice piped up.

Espio glanced up to see that Toby's Grovyle had scampered over to see her, "…Hi. How are you?"

"Imma Grovyle! You have a pretty face!" Grovyle informed her.

"Um… thank you…?"

"Are you hungry? I can get us something to eat!" the grass type continued enthusiastically.

"Uh, no… Didn't we all just finish eating a while ago?" Espio asked with a raised eyebrow. She was about to say more, but paused when she noticed Knuckles heading over with a less than friendly look on his face.

"What's going on here?" he demanded to know.

"Hi! Imma Grovyle!" Grovyle piped up again, "Are you hungry? I can get us something! You want Weedle?"

"What? No!" Knuckles looked at the Grovyle like he had lost his mind, "I _meant_: what are you two talking about?"

"Why does it matter?" Espio asked curiously, "Unless… you aren't _jealous _now are you, Knuckles?"

"What?" Knuckles exclaimed, "Why would_ I_ get jealous? About _any_thing?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Espio said slyly and bounded off, but not before playfully twitching her tail near Knuckles' legs.

"So…" Grovyle began again, "_Are _you hungry?"

Knuckles glared at him.

Grovyle waited expectantly for several seconds before piping up again, "I can get us some Weedle!"

"…Shut up!"

Espio glanced around curiously before deciding on joining the Absol off in the shade. She was the only one that looked relatively sane and didn't look otherwise occupied.

"Hi! Do you mind having a little company?" Espio asked as she padded over to the dark type.

Absol looked up from the ground and blinked blankly, not quite used to having visitors, "… I suppose not."

"Thank you," Espio said gratefully as she took a seat and wrapped her tail about herself comfortably, "You don't know how glad I am to get away from those two…"

"Who?" Absol asked curiously.

"Those two… over there," Espio indicated Knuckles and Grovyle with a nod of her head, both of whom looked to be locked in a wrestling match of sorts.

Absol stared, "What are they fighting about?"

"Who knows?"

"Hmm…" Absol's eyes widened once she observed Staraptor, Ursaring, and Pinsir running around in circles, "Wow… together… we all certainly… make quite the interesting bunch…"

Espio frowned thoughtfully, "Actually, yeah… I think you're right… They all do keep life interesting, to be sure."

oOoOoOo

Notes: Haha, I actually managed to pull myself away from Pokémon Black long enough to write an extra-long chapter? As hard as that is to believe, I really did have fun with this chapter, so I hope it's not too disappointing! I've even put up a pretty goofy poll relating to this chapter specifically, so please check it out if you can!

And of course, thank you to Sahjil for suggesting more Pokémon interaction and to Flying Lion for suggesting some interaction between Knuckles and his father specifically!

Oh, and I hope I satisfied that anonymous reviewer's concern about Azelf not eating. I had over-looked that fact, but I thought about it awhile, and I think I came up with a suitable explanation. Hopefully, that works for now, but I'm pretty sure it should make a bit more sense later on in the story.

Anyway, as always, thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!


	65. Chapter 65: Team Idiocy

I had so many unsigned reviewers this time around that I decided to start this chapter off with some quick responses to their questions and whatnot. All other readers can skip ahead to the oOo's if they want.

jj: Well, first off, thanks for reviewing! As for your question about Byron… Basically, I thought that Byron was hilarious in the anime, so I mirrored what he was like on there. I know what you mean though; I was also wondering where on earth he gets those explosions… but I guess that's what makes it funny. Anyway, I would highly recommend watching those episodes where Ash meets Byron if you haven't already! There aren't many great episodes of Pokémon anime, but those ones were really good. Also, where did you find out Riley's age? Or are you just guessing…?

MasterPsychic: Thanks for reviewing! And you're right about that mistake. On top of that one, there are also a few more mistakes in that battle as well… I'm actually still in the process of editing older chapters, so I should come around to fixing it all eventually though; don't worry!

MoonlitNite: Your PMing is turned off, so I guess I'll reply to you here: Thanks the review! And as for your question, a few other people have been wondering about Azelf's importance as well… And I'm going to say that it should be addressed… nextchapter. I was thinking of cramming more into this chapter, but it would have gotten way too long. We're almost there, though!

LeahFlyer: Hey, thanks! Glad you like it! As for Mesprit and Ditto… You'll hear about them in this chapter. And I assure you: their story is not by any means finished yet.

SolarEspeon: Aw, thanks! I'm so glad you like it that much! Maybe sometime you could sign in and leave another review, so that I can check out that story you're writing some day!

Now! On with the story!

oOoOoOo

"_Where_?" Hunter J gripped the arm rests of her captain's chair in alarm, "_How, _Lieutenant?"

"We have them both safely tucked away in the back," said lieutenant informed her with a triumphant look on his face. He _was_ going to get that raise after all!

"_How, _Lieutenant?" J repeated in shock. Was this truly happening right now? One of her nearly brainless yet loyal cronies had finally done something right?

Regardless, Hunter J got over her shock rather quickly and immediately returned to her usual 'cheery' self, "Never mind!" she barked at the monitor, forcing her comrade to hold back an answer to a question she had just asked herself merely seconds earlier, "Just _get back _here NOW! I want them HERE in less than an hour!"

"Yes sir!" the Lieutenant saluted and promptly cut his communications link.

Several minutes after her airship had landed somewhere within the desolate outskirts of Solaceon Town, J tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the expected arrival. She was about to bark out to the nearest burly henchman to make another call to the lieutenant when she saw dust clouds off in the distance, "Finally…"

"Sir!" the lieutenant saluted the moment he stepped out of the truck, "We have the…"

"I know!" J barked, "Just hurry up and load up the cargo in the docking bay! NOW!"

All the men scrambled to follow orders while J strode back onto the ship alone. Her long robes billowed about her in the most villainous way possible as she made her way up the ramp. Even the Solaceon dust wouldn't mar her frightening presence. And that was saying something. Everyone in Sinnoh knows how dusty Solaceon is…

Several minutes later, whilst those pathetic henchmen were still fulfilling orders, J decided to stride around the halls in order to make her presence known. This had to done periodically to insure that all of her henchmen were working efficiently. A presence such as hers demanded respect and thus, all the men were significantly intimidated. And when men are intimidated, they work at their highest capacity, well, according to Hunter J, that is...

Once that necessary task was completed, she was ready to determine whether her request had truly been carried out. The lieutenant and the others surely would have loaded up the necessary cargo by now.

"Sir!" the lieutenant saluted once again once the treacherous Pokémon Hunter entered the room.

J said nothing as she scanned the contents of the capsules in the middle of the room, two of which held one Mesprit each. The both of them were injured, most likely inflicted by poison along with high damage dealt by a few well-executed Dark Pulses. And yes, she could tell all that from a single glance. This was Hunter J we're talking about here!

"Very good…" J's mouth twisted into a dark smile, "Now to determine which of these Mesprit we need…"

"Oh! Right!" the lieutenant suddenly remembered and reached into his one of pockets, "I think I have a feather right here…"

"Never mind that," J snapped and scowled darkly as unpleasant memories of that idiot, Charon, began to plague her mind. She would do things _her_ way this time, "Luxio! Use your Discharge! Now!"

At her command, the two nearby Luxio standing at attention zapped the two capsules, adding to the pain of the two helpless Mesprit inside.

"More!" J ordered, "Keep using your attacks until they faint!"

Eventually, she got her wish, as the two hapless Pokémon sank to the ground of their capsules in a faint. Once the Mesprit on the right closed his eyes, he transformed back to his original form, that of a blue, shiny Ditto.

"Perfect…" J smiled darkly, "Only one more to go now…"

"But what should we do with the Ditto?" the lieutenant asked.

"Throw it out with the rest of the garbage, Drapion," J told her idle Pokémon as she strode of out of the room.

"Drapion!" Drapion shouted and scurried over to do just that.

"Wait!" Uxie screamed at the Pokémon from within his own capsule, "If you throw him off the ship, he won't be able to save himself! He could die from a fall that great!"

Drapion just shrugged. It was what Hunter J wanted him to do, and so that was what he was going to do. Honestly, he was still a bit surprised that the Ditto had still managed to survive from the last time he threw him off the ship…

And with that thought in mind, he carried the capsule off to the doors. Once they opened up for him, he tossed out the fainted Ditto as though he were merely throwing out some unused water back into the river.

The poor Ditto plummeted down to the ground, but the little guy, being unconscious, had no idea that he was falling to what may be his death. Luckily for him, a nearby Staravia happened to be flying past while searching for dinner for her young. She spotted him just in time and swooped down to save him before he could hit the unforgiving earth.

"Are you alright?" Staravia asked as she lowered the Pokémon to the ground. She landed beside him and stared curiously, "Hmm… You must have fainted…"

The flying type Pokémon's frown deepened as she observed the Ditto's injures. The poor thing. Her heart ached for the little creature. But as for right now, she could hear her children calling.

Staravia set a few of her collected berries beside the Ditto for him to eat once he awakened. After that, she flew off to attend to her children. After all, she couldn't have that pair of Murkrow harassing her young again.

In the meantime, Ditto slept on, in the shade of one of the trees from the forests near Solaceon Town.

oOoOoOo

Leaf sighed softly as she made to take a seat across from Riley in the tiny lounge of a Pokémon Center. They had managed to find this place yesterday in a small town along Route 210. None of them were quite certain of the name of the town, (it wasn't even marked on either of Leaf's maps) but two things were for certain: it was conveniently located, and they needed somewhere to re-group and determine what they were going to do next.

However, Leaf stopped short when she caught sight of Knuckles through the window. He looked to be wandering far off in the distance, and it certainly didn't look like he was going to stop there. What the heck? When Knuckles had told her he had wanted to go outdoors to get some fresh air, she had assumed he wouldn't go _that _far. Just what the heck was he doing all the way out there anyway?

Leaf growled in annoyance and headed for the door, "Riley! Watch my bag for me, okay?" she called over her shoulder as she took off after Knuckles.

Riley looked up from his newspaper in surprise and just barely managed to catch a glimpse of her before she disappeared out the door, "…Sure thing…" he mumbled before scratching his head with a confused look on his face. Maybe he sometimes got a little _too _absorbed in his reading…

"Knuckles!" Leaf exclaimed. He wasn't walking very fast, but he could at least turn around when she called his name! "KNUCKLES? What the heck? Waaait! Wait for me, blast it!"

Leaf was panting when she finally caught up with him, "Knuckles… What… the Heatran… Answer me when I call you…!"

She paused in her ranting when she noticed the strange look on Knuckles' face. He looked dazed; his eyes were glazed over like that time he had been affected by Mean Look back in Eterna Forest.

"Hello~? Knuckles?" Leaf waved a hand in front of his face, "…What's wrong with you? Somebody have their Buneary use Cute Charm on you or something?"

Leaf glanced ahead of them. No one seemed to be around. She glanced behind and around them as well, but she really didn't see anyone around here. How could Knuckles have been affected by an attack if there weren't any Pokémon around to deliver it?

"Hey, what's that smell?" Leaf asked as she suddenly took notice of a sweet-smelling scent, "Knuckles! Did you get into someone's shampoo? Or lotion? I swear, if you're trying to pull some kind of trick on me, I'm so going to -Aaah!" Before she could even finish her sentence, the two of them had managed to fall straight into a concealed pitfall.

"Ouch!" Leaf frowned as she rubbed her head, "Hey! Who the Flygon digs up a pitfall in the middle of the blasted woods, anyway?"

Amidst the pile of leaves and dirt that had been used to cover up the trap, Knuckles had managed to find some kind of incense container. He started to hug and stroke it lovingly like it was his long-lost lover.

"Knuckles?" Leaf stared at him incredulously, "Are you _kidding _me right now? We just fell into a blasted pitfall trap, and you're practically making out with a freaking incense bag! Did you just lose your _mind_?"

Knuckles just began to hum appreciatively and continued to stroke the stupid incense.

"Wait a second…" Leaf snatched the incense out of his paws and looked it over. Realization began to dawn on her, "It's _this_! This is what's causing you to go all loopy, isn't it?"

Knuckles nodded stupidly and started to drool.

Leaf groaned in annoyance and tossed the stupid bag aside. She then gazed up at the top of the hole and sighed in defeat. Even if Knuckles was in the right state of mind to help her, she doubted they'd have enough height to make it out, "Blast it…"

"Seriously," Leaf frowned as she folded her arms over her chest, "Who randomly decides to dig huge holes in the ground unless they've got some kind of target in mind?"

Well, other than Byron, she couldn't really think of anyone…

Knuckles let out a drunken-sounding chuckle once he managed to re-find the incense bag in the dirt and leaves.

Leaf gasped. What if Team Galactic…? Or Hunter J? No, they wouldn't dig a pitfall trap like this… Or would they? But it didn't matter! Even if they hadn't dug this hole, and they found her here… she'd be helpless. She didn't have any of her Pokéballs with her, and it wasn't like Knuckles even had a brain right now…

Leaf swallowed painfully. She could feel the panic coursing through her veins… She had to get out of here… If Team Galactic got ahold of her and Knuckles now, there was no telling what would happen to them…

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear!"

Leaf looked up and blinked, "Huh? Is someone there?"

"On the wind!" a woman with freakishly straight and pointy hair stepped into view.

"Past the stars!" a man with a girlish voice and long blue hair stood beside her.

"Hey!" Leaf stood and waved her arm, "You think you two could help us out? We're kinda stuck down here…"

"How dare ya interrupt da Team Rocket motto!" a random Meowth screeched, "Ya twerpette!

Leaf blinked, "Huh? How'd you guys get your Meowth to talk? …And why are you dressin' up like Team Rocket?"

"We aren't _DRESSING UP _like Team Rocket, we _ARE _Team Rocket!" the woman roared.

"Huh. That's weird. I thought Red killed everybody in Team Rocket…" Leaf shrugged nonchalantly.

"That's NOT true!" the man cried.

"Yeah, sure, so… would you just let us out already? Please? We really need to get out of here, especially since…" Leaf pointed at Knuckles, "I think my Pokémon needs to see Nurse Joy before his brain melts down."

"Oh, we aren't going to let you out," the woman said smoothly.

"Yeah, why would we do that?" the man giggled like an extremely stupid girl, "We're the ones who dug up this trap!"

"WHAT?" Leaf roared.

"Dat's right, ya twerpette!" the Meowth sneered, "We want dat Lucario of yours sos dat we can track down dat Pikachu!"

"What Pikachu?" Leaf looked confused, "…And what's a twerpette, anyway?"

The man just laughed very stupidly in response. He sounded vaguely like a horse with very few brain cells. Or a suffocating Ponyta.

Leaf groaned and plopped down on the ground in defeat. Just great. She was going to get kidnapped by a couple of nitwits. Why couldn't she have thought to bring an escape rope? Or a decent pair of earplugs at least?

oOoOoOo

"Leaf not back still?" Toby asked.

"No…" Riley frowned, "I don't like this... It sounded to me as though she was only going to step out for a few minutes… It's been too long; I'm starting to get worried…"

"Leaf is where?"

"Not sure…" Riley pulled out Rukario's Pokéball, "…Rukario, can you sense Leaf or Knuckles' presence anywhere?"

The Lucario closed his eyes and concentrated as he scanned the area as far his senses could reach. Not a trace…

"Very bad!" Toby cried, "Leaf or Knuckles is hurt?"

"I certainly hope not," Riley frowned, "But we should find them soon."

"Okay!" Toby reached into his pockets for his Pokéballs, "Toby take Ki and run everywhere to find Leaf, and Toby tell Staraptor to fly and look for Leaf too!"

"That sounds like a good idea," Riley nodded, "I'll go with Rukario and search to the west. I'll have Salamence search to the north… You and Ki can take the east, and Staraptor should search to the south of here. That way we'll have every direction covered…"

Riley stood and held Leaf's bag in his arms, "This isn't good at all… She doesn't have any of her other Pokémon with her… if something was to happen to her…"

"Leaf is safe with Knuckles!" Toby declared, "And Toby or Riley or Pokémon find Leaf soon!"

Riley nodded, trying to appear more optimistic than he felt. On the inside, his stomach was churning with anxiety, "Right," he forced himself to say, "Let's get going then. I'll take Leaf's other Pokémon with me. We'll all meet up here in an hour."

"Okay!" Toby cried and ran off.

Riley carefully reached around in Leaf's bag until he found the Pokéball containing the only English-speaking Pokémon any of them had.

"It's a girl!" Blathers gushed with delight the second he was released from his Pokéball.

"Chatot, listen to me," Riley began, "Leaf left a while ago, and she still hasn't returned. We're starting to worry, so Toby and I have decided to go looking for her. I need you to wait here just in case she comes back."

"Yes, master!" Blathers replied in a shockingly deep voice and saluted bravely.

"If Leaf returns, I want you to tell her that we'll be back here in an hour from now, alright?"

"Whateva ya say, suga," the little bird responded with a girly wink, "I'll be waitin'…"

Without another word, Riley then handed Leaf's bag to his Lucario. Said Pokémon slung it over his shoulders, seeing as how it was a bit too small for Riley. After that, the two headed off on their quest to find her.

oOoOoOo

"We're gonna get that Pikachu~! The Boss is gonna be SO happy! And we are too~!" the obnoxiously annoying trio sang while they ate a feast to celebrate their victory. A feast consisting of a few hot dogs and some popcorn.

Leaf groaned. Honestly, she had found the trio annoying before, but now that they were feeling happy, they were even worse. All that blasted rhyming!

Knuckles continued to pace about within cage in which the two were currently trapped. The trance that the stupid incense had brought upon him had finally worn off, and now he was currently growling angrily in place of grinning and drooling like an idiot. He hated being trapped in here; it made his skin crawl. But even more than that, he hated the fact that it had been so easy for them to transform him into a complete fool. All it took was a mere bag of incense to send his mind to a different planet! He should be stronger than that!

"Knuckles! Seriously, quit pacing like that! You're making me nervous!" Leaf suddenly cried.

Knuckles whirled around to face her. She certainly didn't _look _nervous, the way she was lying back against the ground as though she hadn't a care in the world. You'd think they were on the beach instead of trapped inside a cage! Honestly, the entire situation couldn't be more humiliating! How could she be so lackadaisical at a time like this?

"Just wait until they're occupied by something… Fools like them, it's bound to happen soon enough…" Leaf mumbled in an undertone.

Ah, so that was it. Knuckles sat down, visibly contented. He should have known that Leaf would have come up with a plan. After all, she had managed to escape from Hunter J's ship before (with the previously kidnapped Azelf in tow no less). They'd been in worse situations before…

"All dis tasty food is makin' me a bit tired…" the Meowth sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"Well, it _has _been a while since we've had such a delightful dinner…" the red-haired woman pointed out.

"That's right, Jessie!" the blue haired man giggled like a distressed Ponyta again.

"I s'pose a little siesta wouldn' hurt…" Meowth sighed and rolled onto his back.

"We'll have that Lucario track down Pikachu right after a quick nap… There's no hurry…" the woman known as Jessie yawned.

After a few more irritating giggles from the guy, the three fell silent. Leaf waited several more minutes before opening her own eyes, "…Are they sound asleep?"

Knuckles nodded affirmatively. Now all they needed to do was get out of this cage. He could do that!

Knuckles had to grit his teeth together to keep from letting out a loud roar as he grasped two of the bars and tried to wrench them apart with sheer strength.

"Don't sweat it Knuckles," Leaf whispered, "I've got this."

She quickly pulled off her hat and felt her hair for a hairpin. Even though she always wore a hat, her hair was quite long, and thus she often needed something more to help with keeping it from falling down into her eyes. Not only did bobby pins help with this problem, but they could also be quite handy when it came to locks. Granted, she hadn't picked a lock in quite a few years, but she was certain she would be able to do it.

"Okay! I've got one!" Leaf smiled and quickly reached around the bars to fiddle with the lock, "It might take me a few tries, so bear with me…"

It took quite a few minutes of prodding and poking around within the lock before Leaf finally heard a resounding click, "Yes! We're out!"

Once the both of them were finally out of that rotten cage, Leaf gazed at the hideous Meowth balloon attached to the top of it with a mischievous smirk forming on her face. They had to make sure that those freaks wouldn't be able to follow them again.

"Knuckles?" she turned to him with an even wider smirk, "You'd like to use Metal Claw right about now, wouldn't you?"

Knuckles nodded with an equally devious-looking grin.

Within a matter of minutes, the giant Meowth balloon was torn to shreds. After that was accomplished, the Trainer and her Pokémon headed back to the Pokémon Center where they were certain Riley and the others would be waiting for them.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Ugh… Did I just put Team Rocket in my story? I'm sorry guys… Truly.


	66. Chapter 66: Fire and Ice

Leaf groaned with impatience, "Geez! How _far _did they take us, anyway?"

It was impossible! She and Knuckles had been walking for a good while now, but she still had no idea where they were! It was beyond frustrating! Those stupid Team Rocket rejects! It was all their fault for bringing them all this way for nothing! Why did they have to be kidnapped by a bunch of losers! It was such a _huge _waste of time!

"Are you sure it's this way?" Leaf complained to Knuckles (whom she had been following all this time), "It feels like we're walking in _circles_!"

Knuckles snarled angrily. Leaf hadn't given him even a _minute's _worth of peace! She just kept whining and complaining every three seconds! It was driving him crazy!

"Sheesh, what's your problem?" Leaf watched Knuckles seething with a raised eyebrow.

Knuckles just snarled again.

"Rabid Lucario…" Leaf mumbled in an undertone, "Yeah, so anyway, can't you use your Aura again? Maybe Riley and Toby have decided to come looking for us by now… Yeah, maybe they're close enough now that you'll be able to sense them…"

Knuckles grumbled quietly as his dreadlocks started to float upwards. Scarcely a second later, his eyelids snapped open in shock, and he promptly reached out to yank on Leaf's arm and drag her away.

"Aah! Whoa, Knuckles, what's up? Why are we running?" Leaf just barely managed to ask as she struggled to keep up with her now sprinting Lucario.

Knuckles quickly cried out his response. He had just sensed Hunter J! She was heading their way and moving fast! It was only a matter of time before she caught sight of them!

Leaf had to bite back a curse. Hunter J! Why her? And why now of all times! This was just not her day…

"So what… are we… going to do?" Leaf asked breathlessly. Honestly, if it all depended on her running skills, they were both doomed…

Knuckles gestured towards a large grove of trees far up ahead in the distance. There was a forest up there, and he was certain it would provide enough cover to keep them out of sight. Hunter J didn't have Aura on her side; she would never find them if she couldn't see them.

"You think… we'll make it there… before she catches up…?"

Knuckles frowned. Of that, he wasn't sure.

Obviously, Leaf wasn't exactly fast. If she didn't pick up the pace, he doubted they'd make it in time. However, he decided to keep those thoughts to himself, for now. He didn't need Leaf worrying about things she couldn't control. She just needed to focus on running faster!

After a few minutes of sprinting at top speed, Leaf truly felt like her lungs and legs were burning. If she made it out of this, she vowed to take up jogging or something in the future. The only thing worse than running for your life was running for your life at the rate of a freaking Slowking…

On top of that, Leaf's arm felt like it was going to break off any minute now. Especially given that Knuckles frequently took to tugging harder whenever he felt she was running at even a fraction less than her top speed, "Blast it, Knuckles! You're… going to… rip my blasted arm off!"

She really shouldn't have bothered to say anything. Of course, when she paused to utter such an (arguably useless) exclamation, they just happened to pass over an abrupt little deformation in the land. And of course, since she focused her gaze on her Pokémon rather on than the ground, she tripped and fell flat on her face. Naturally.

At the sudden loss of Leaf's hand, Knuckles halted in his tracks. Without pausing to say a word, the Lucario promptly scooped up his Trainer in his arms and took off running. No use in wasting time watching her get sorted out and back on her feet.

Leaf was a bit too surprised to even say anything at first. Well, at least now Knuckles was free to run at his full speed. Maybe they'd reach the safety of the forest quicker this way…

Yeah, right. Here was Hunter J right now.

"Ha! And what do I see here? My most elusive prey, right underneath my nose? And all alone too… My, my… This IS my lucky day!" J gloated from her perch atop her glorious Salamence, "Soon you'll see how it feels when it's _your _luck that runs thin!"

"Oh, great…" Leaf frowned, "She's already seen us… There's no point in running anymore…"

But Knuckles didn't show any signs of stopping. Instead, he forced himself to run even faster. Just because Hunter J had locked onto on them at this moment, that didn't mean she'd be able to _keep _her sights on them for long!

"Stop running from your fate! You're only avoiding the inevitable!" Hunter J snarled and promptly ordered her Salamence to use Flamethrower.

Leaf squeezed her eyes shut and gripped Knuckles tighter, bracing herself for impact. Luckily for the two of them, Knuckles managed to succeed in his attempt to duck and roll out of the way; the only problem was, he lost his hold on Leaf, and the trainer wound up kissing the dirt for the second time in a row.

"Ouch…" Leaf winced and gingerly ran her fingers along the bridge of her nose to make certain it wasn't broken, "Blast it…!"

Knuckles grumbled out a quick apology before springing back to his feet, ready to face whatever Hunter J had to throw at them next.

"No more running away, I see…" J smirked, "Perfect… No more games, no more tricks… Just a true test of might to decide it all… One on one… Pure and simple… I wouldn't want to settle this any other way…"

"Hey wait! I don't even have Azelf with me right now!" Leaf exclaimed quickly, "It's true! Look! I don't have my backpack! I don't even have _any_ of my Pokémon with me except for Knuckles! So, there's no need to get carried away here…! We can solve things _rationally_! You know, without violence!"

"You expect me to believe those lies?" J seethed. As if on cue, Salamence unleashed a vengeful Flamethrower in Knuckles' direction. Knuckles had been eyeing the Pokémon all the while, and managed to avoid the destructive blow.

"Yikes…" Leaf bit her lip. Clearly Hunter J was serious, "Looks like we've got no choice but to fight…"

Knuckles nodded affirmatively and fearlessly stared down the intimidating dragon type with a burning resolve.

Leaf, however, wasn't feeling so fearless. Hunter J's top Pokémon certainly wasn't one to be taken lightly. The dragon type was at a huge advantage, what with his higher level and a familiar (and super-effective) Fire type move at his disposal. As it was, the odds clearly weren't stacked in Leaf's favor, and she obviously didn't have the option to switch to a different Pokémon at this point. If Knuckles happened to get hit by even one of Salamence's powerful Flamethrower attacks, she was certain that he'd pretty much be down for the count.

"Knuckles…" Leaf said finally in a quiet undertone, "I need you to focus only on dodging Salamence's attacks. Forget about fighting back for now… We'll wait until J has used up all of his moves… Then we'll worry about taking the offensive… That work for you?"

"Ha!" Knuckles cried affirmatively.

"Enough of your whispering! The time for battle is now! Use your Flamethrower again, Salamence!" J bellowed.

Her nasty dragon readily obeyed, sending a steady stream of flames from his monstrous mouth. Knuckles deftly dodged, making certain to annoy the Salamence as much as possible with his cheeky smirk. This really got Salamence going; no one made a fool of him! The angered beast blasted forth Flamethrower after Flamethrower in a fit of rage.

"Keep it up, Knuckles!" Leaf encouraged as she watched Knuckles' impressive speed at work. If things continued at this rate, maybe they really did have a chance of coming out of this in one piece…!

"Hmm," J frowned with displeasure. She hadn't counted on this Lucario to be such a slippery target. Well, no matter. There were always much slower targets available…

"Salamence! Use Flamethrower again! But this time… I think you know which target to choose…!" J smirked wickedly.

Leaf was smiling slightly at Knuckles, about to praise him again for avoiding that last attack, but she paused when she took notice of the unexpected delay in Salamence's Flamethrowers. Was he gearing up to focus his aim or…? But before she could think of an ending to that last thought, Leaf turned to face Salamence directly and quickly realized that his next attack was headed straight for her!

Knuckles' eyes widened when he realized that Salamence's next Flamethrower wasn't intended for him, but for his Trainer instead! How could he possibly enable the both of them to dodge that unscathed! There wasn't enough time! Someone was going to have to take the fall. And if it had to be decided between the two of them…

"KNUCKLES!" Leaf shrieked.

Right before Leaf was about to be fried by the fiery blast, Knuckles ran into its path to block it from hitting her. But it came at a great cost. Shortly after receiving the full force of the attack, the poor Pokémon collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the ultra-effective attack.

"No…! No…! No! Knuckles! Are you okay?" Leaf shook her head wildly as she hurried over to the Lucario's side, hardly able to believe this was truly happening right now.

Knuckles winced and struggled to move as he felt his consciousness slipping away. He had to get up! They were still in danger, and it counted on him to protect them!

Leaf quickly smothered the last of the embers lingering in his fur with her hand, wincing as the little flames scorched her exposed skin. It wasn't the most pleasant solution, but she could care less about that at this point, "I'm so sorry, Knuckles! Can you get up? Please tell me you're okay!"

J snickered as her Salamence lowered to the ground, "Well, that solves that problem. Let's see you or your pathetic Pokémon slip away from me now!"

Leaf did her best to ignore her, still attempting to rouse Knuckles enough to help him sit up.

"The games end here," J stated definitively, the strange weapon on her arm pointed at the vulnerable Knuckles, "Hand over the last Legendary Lake Pokémon to me now… and I will spare the Lucario's life."

"No!" Leaf cried, wrapping her arms round her Lucario and holding him tightly, "I don't _have _Azelf right now! _I swear_ _it_! Don't hurt Knuckles! _Please_! You _have _to believe me!"

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?" an obnoxiously familiar voice called out.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear!" an equally annoying cry sounded.

Hunter J's eyebrow twitched, "…_What_? Who the Flygon is _that_?" Only, she didn't say Flygon…

Leaf looked up to see a giant Meowth balloon holding the Team Rocket dorks heading this way. What… the Heatran? Weren't they supposed to be asleep? And more importantly, didn't Knuckles already destroy their stupid balloon?

"Team Rocket Rule Number One! Always have spare _Meowth_ balloons handy! _Meowth_! That's right!" the talking Meowth blabbered. He had said more, but that was all Leaf really heard. The rest just sounded like pointless rhyming banter.

"And Rule Number Two!" the blue-haired man taunted, "Never let Hunter J get away with _our _Pokémon! We saw that Lucario first," he pouted.

"That's right! Now, Arbok! Attack!" the redhead woman shouted.

"Cha-baka!" the random Arbok (who happened to be riding in the back of the balloon basket along with them) shouted as he hurled toxic sludge out of his open mouth. It almost looked like he was vomiting nuclear waste. How… pleasant.

Hunter J sighed deeply in plain annoyance. She briefly glanced at Leaf and Knuckles as if to determine whether they had much of a shot at escaping should she ultimately decide to eliminate the annoyances. In the end, she resumed her perch atop Salamence and took off to do battle, apparently keen on putting a few noobs in their place. Who could really blame her?

"Knuckles! Please! Wake up! Now's our chance! You have to wake up!" Leaf urged.

Knuckles groaned, struggling to open his eyes.

"Oh, good… You're awake," Leaf sighed in relief once his eyelids finally fluttered open, "Are you okay? Do you think you can walk? There's no time to explain; we just _have _to get out of here!" She knew that the Team Rocket fools would only manage to attract J's full attention for a short while (given how clueless they are). She just had to get Knuckles out of there now!

With Leaf's help, Knuckles struggled to his feet. The two of them slowly made their way into the dense forest ahead, the Lucario leaning heavily against his Trainer for support. This certainly wasn't an easy feat; Leaf had no doubt in her mind now that her Pokémon weighed more than she did. Looking at him, she wouldn't normally have expected for such a thin and short creature to weigh what he did, but she certainly knew better now.

At any rate, the two continued their slow and painful trek through the trees until they managed to reach a large, old tree, "Okay… Let's stop here… I can't see that stupid Meowth balloon anymore, at the very least, so I think we should be good…" Leaf mumbled as she helped Knuckles to sit down beside the trunk of the old tree.

"Yeah… I can't even see the sky from here, so I think we'll be alright…" Leaf continued as she glanced upwards at the grandiose branches above her, "… since I know J will be looking for us as soon as she defeats those Rocket wannabes… I just hope Riley or Toby can find us soon…" she muttered quietly as she sat down beside her Pokémon.

Poor Knuckles was breathing heavily, and Leaf could readily see quite a few nasty burns even through his fur, "Knuckles… I'm so sorry… I wish I had brought my bag along with me… If I wasn't so blasted short-sighted, I'd have it right now, and I could heal you…" she said softly and carefully embraced him, wrapping her arms round him gingerly.

Knuckles felt too tired to respond, so he merely leaned his head against her shoulder, his mind still buzzing with thoughts of Hunter J. If she were to find them, he was in no shape to defend them from her wrath any longer. If Leaf got hurt, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He was her Pokémon; it was his duty to protect her, no matter what the cost.

"Hmm? What is it?" Leaf pulled away slightly to look her Pokémon in the eye when she heard him quietly mumbling something to her.

Knuckles began again; even though he was wounded and in pain, his resolve was still burning. If Hunter J managed to find them here, he would distract her long enough for Leaf to escape further into the forest. Without him to slow her down, she would be able to escape.

"How can you even _say _that?" Leaf cried and abruptly tightened her embrace, "There's _no way _I'm _ever _going to leave you behind!"

Knuckles squirmed slightly within her grip in protest. She _had_ to! It was the only way for her to escape!

"No! I'm _never _going to leave you!" Leaf insisted adamantly.

Knuckles sighed and gave up. She was just too stubborn for her own good, but he was too tired to argue the point any further. As he leaned back against her and the two fell back into silence, Knuckles became aware of the steady rhythm of Leaf's heart. The sound had always comforted him back when he was a young Riolu; it had even lulled him to sleep before. Hearing it now made him all the more certain. He had to do everything in his power to keep that heart beating.

oOoOoOo

"That should take care of them," Hunter J said with a small laugh as she watched Team Rocket "blast off again." Poor suckers… They didn't even stand a chance…

Salamence turned back in the direction where they had left Leaf and Knuckles to find them long gone. He grunted loudly to gain J's attention.

"Oh, don't worry about those two…" J smiled darkly, "They won't be any trouble at all… We'll just smoke them out," she continued as she carefully pulled out a Max Elixir from one of her pockets.

oOoOoOo

"Do you smell smoke?" Leaf asked suddenly. Knuckles nodded slowly.

Shortly afterward, Leaf's fears were confirmed when a horde of panicked forest Pokémon scurried past them in a frenzy. Knuckles quickly informed her that every one of them was shouting about a forest fire.

"We're going to have to get out of here," Leaf said quickly when she caught sight of the flames licking the trees in the distance. She glanced down at Knuckles anxiously. That fire was moving fast, and it was only spurred along by the close proximity of all the foliage in the area. If things kept up, she certainly didn't want to risk sticking around any longer. Knuckles was clearly in no shape to move quickly, so her only option was to leave. With that thought in mind, she carefully helped Knuckles to his feet and headed out of there.

After another long and painful hike, Leaf and Knuckles had finally reached the edge of the forest. Leaf could care less about Hunter J finding her at this point; the smoke had just become too much. She couldn't take it any longer. She was just happy to breathe fresh air again.

"Hmm? What's that, Knuckles?" Leaf asked. She could hardly understand Knuckles' mumbling, so she had to strain to hear him.

Riley. Riley was on his way. He could sense it.

"Really? How close?"

But before she could hear an answer (and just as luck would have it), Hunter J and her horrible Salamence chose that moment to return, "Ha! Ha! Ha! So there you are! Now, isn't it about time you gave up already? It's clear now that your silly games are over! Your time is up! And now, Azelf is finally mine!" she crowed.

"Huh. And here I thought you'd gotten beaten by the Team Rocket idiots! But no, you just had to burn up another forest instead," Leaf frowned; it was absolutely clear to her now just who had started this fire, "Honestly, you get your kicks destroying things that can't fight back?"

"Maybe you should ask your Lucario… once I finish him off too."

Leaf stiffened. What would she do now? Cheap talk wouldn't exactly cut it, and Knuckles was clearly in no shape to walk on his own, let alone fight a powerful foe. She just had to think of something!

Knuckles, refusing Leaf's support, moved in front of her defensively, bound and determined to protect her.

"Listen, J, I don't want to fight you…" Leaf began anxiously, "Honestly, my Lucario is injured enough. Please… Just leave him alone!"

"Give me Azelf, and our quarrel will be settled!"

"I don't _have _Azelf!" Leaf cried desperately.

"Then say good-bye to Lucario!" J sneered. In a flash, she raised her weapon and fired straight at Knuckles.

Leaf watched with horror as Knuckles fell to the ground, his body lifeless and eerily frozen in place, just like a statue.

"No…!" she whispered hoarsely, tears flooding her eyes.

Salamence landed smoothly, and J climbed off, her triumphant smirk still planted on her smug face, "Perhaps now you're more willing to speak the truth? It's a sad sight, indeed, seeing your Pokémon like that. Just remember: you did that to him. All of your games and lies have finally caught up to you. Maybe now you'll be more forthcoming with me."

Leaf wasn't listening to her. The sight of Knuckles lying there… lifeless…

A powerful rush of emotions gripped her heart. She wanted to scream, rip out her hair, anything to stop herself from facing this. He couldn't be dead! He just couldn't!

"You _killed _my Pokémon!" Leaf suddenly charged at J, not caring that she had a monstrous Salamence at her side. All she wanted was to rip that revolting smirk off that ugly face, "You murderous, filthy piece of-!"

Before Leaf could even finish that sentence, J roughly shoved her to the ground. Salamence didn't even have to blink, "Idiot girl! Shut your mouth and listen to me! Your precious Pokémon isn't dead."

Leaf blinked, momentarily floored at she had hit the ground so hard and fast, "…What?"

"You heard me," J folded her arms over her chest and met Leaf's gaze, "In fact, I have an offer for you. Give Azelf to me, and I will restore your Lucario. It's as simple as that. But I warn you, that Lucario's life rests in my hands. You pull anything funny, and I'll make certain he stays that way, rusting away as a statue until the end of time…"

"I really don't… I don't have Azelf!"

"Then _where is _it?"

"Riley…" Leaf remembered suddenly, as if it had been years since she had seen him, "I left all of my Pokémon with Riley… He has Azelf…"

"Riley," J repeated the name with disgust, "That freak that uses Aura powers, right? Where is he?"

Leaf frowned slightly, trying to recall what Knuckles had said to her before J had shown up, "He's on his way… That's what Knuckles told me before he…"

"Oh good," J's businesslike tone took over as her rage slowly diminished, and a truly devilish smile began to form on her face, "That makes things very simple…"

"Simple…?" Leaf repeated cautiously as she slowly rose to her feet.

"Yes… Very simple!" J exclaimed and raised her weapon.

Before Leaf could even blink, she was hit by the blast and became encased in stone, just like Knuckles.

J turned to Salamence, her vile smile still on her features, "Now… we wait for the Aura Guardian…"

oOoOoOo

Notes: Ugh, I'm sorry, guys. In the last chapter I told one of the unsigned reviewers that the reason for Azelf's obvious lack of presence in this story would be made apparent in this chapter but… It turns out, it would have been exceedingly long, so I decided to save it for next chapter. I've kind of leaned towards shorter chapters in this story, and I don't want to break the trend for just this one time. I can't have it going OVER NINE THOUSAND words, you know? Plus, I just couldn't resist ending at this very dramatic spot. ;)

So, thanks for reading, everyone, and I really hope the next chapter doesn't scare the daylights out of you!

Okay… _maybe_ I'm exaggerating just a little.

Oh, and I have some good news! ScotSniper and I are planning out a new fic! Just imagine: the meeting of the insane Blathers and ScotSniper's equally crazy Riolu, Rylte! We're just getting started, but I think it'll be really fun when we get it out! Oh, and don't worry, there's more to it than just the lolz. ^^


	67. Chapter 67: Knuckles goes Berserk

A miniature Staraptor hopped about the forests near Solaceon Town, happily pecking here and there amongst the leaves and looking around for a berry or two within the fallen foliage. All of the nearby Starly could only stare. They were used to seeing Staraptor that were about three times their size, but this one, he wasn't any larger than they were themselves! They had never seen anything like it!

But the little Staraptor paid them no attention at all, and continued on his little adventure through the trees at his own happy pace. Eventually, he came upon a tree that against which rested a blue colored Ditto! A blue Ditto! He had never seen one like it before!

"Hey Mister!" the little Staraptor cried out as he hurried over to see him more closely, "Why are you so differently colored? What's your name? Where do you-!" But the tiny Staraptor halted in his rapid questioning once he was close enough to see that the Ditto had fainted. He was badly injured, and the Staraptor knew he had to tell his Trainer about this. She would know what to do!

"Master Duplica! Master Duplica! There's a blue Ditto in the forest, and he needs help! You've gotta hurry!" the little Staraptor shrieked and cawed as he flew back to his Trainer.

"Whoa! What's wrong, Mini Ditt?" Duplica asked when her "mini Staraptor" collided right into her.

Mini Ditt frantically squawked about the urgency of the situation and gestured blatantly at the forest with his wings.

"Well, if that's the case, then we'd better hurry! Lead the way, little guy!"

Mini Ditt hurriedly led the way with Duplica following closely behind. When the little Staraptor reached the fainted Ditto, he transformed back into his true form and gestured frantically at his blue counterpart.

"Aww… the poor thing… We'd better get him to the Pokémon Center!" Duplica cried and gingerly picked him up in her arms. She then carefully deposited the berries that had been lying beside him into her pocket for the time being, "Come on, let's hurry, Mini Ditt!"

Mini Ditt nodded and quickly transformed into a regular-sized Starly. Apparently, it was only the Pokémon of larger sizes that he had a harder time replicating.

oOoOoOo

Riley started in surprise when his Lucario suddenly broke into a run, "What is it? Can you sense Leaf and-? Ah! I can feel it too!"

As he ran after his Pokémon, trying his hardest not to lose sight of him, another worry prodded Riley's mind, "I can sense Leaf just fine, but… what about her Lucario? Can't you sense him, Rukario?"

But before the Lucario could answer, Riley suddenly felt Leaf's Aura signature vanish entirely!

"What!" Both Riley and Rukario halted in their tracks, the shock of the event too strange for them to comprehend. How could this have happened? Aura signatures didn't just disappear like that! It was impossible!

"How could… What could have happened…?" Riley stammered.

Rukario didn't answer; instead he held a paw over his heart and focused deeply. Even if Leaf had somehow lost her life, her Aura would still linger about, especially since he had sensed her so clearly but a moment ago. She had to be somewhere… She couldn't entirely disappear…

After several seconds of searching, Rukario re-opened his eyes and let out an affirmative cry. It was a faint signal, but he could still sense her Aura.

Riley swallowed nervously. Whatever had happened just then, he was certain it wasn't anything good… and if something were to happen to her, he didn't know how he'd be able to take it, "...Well then, lead the way. Let's hurry!"

As they ran, Rukario revealed the rest of his discovery. Along with Leaf's faint Aura signature, he could sense Hunter J and her Salamence companion. He could sense Knuckles as well; his Aura was in the same weakened state as Leaf's.

"If that's the case, then we _really_ need to move!"

Shortly afterwards, the two found themselves face to face with Hunter J and her vile Pokémon. Riley could only stare at Leaf and Knuckles' lifeless forms, too stunned for words.

"… How do you like them?" J smirked.

Riley pushed away her comment with an angry wave of his hand, "What have you _done _to them?" His question was punctuated with a vicious snarl from Rukario.

"Oh, nothing they didn't ask for…" J answered lightly.

With a loud roar of fury, Rukario suddenly charged for Salamence, ready to deal some serious damage.

"I wouldn't attack if I were you…" J said sharply, "The lives of your friends rest in my hands. I can still restore them… but only if you're willing to cooperate…"

"Rukario! Stop!" Riley cried.

The Lucario begrudgingly obeyed, his features marked by an angry grimace.

"What do you want?" Riley asked J directly.

"What have I always wanted?" J scowled at his inherent stupidity, "But here, let me make it simple for you: Give me Azelf, and I'll restore the lives of your friends. As long as you don't do anything foolish, your friends will be spared from their pitiful state. On the other hand, if you decide to not cooperate with me, then they will remain as lifeless statues… until they rust away from existence."

Riley considered carefully for a moment, attempting to gauge the Pokémon Hunter's Aura. It was too difficult for him to read her intentions clearly… the woman was just filled with ice and malice…

"Well? Are you going to stand there like a useless Metapod? What is your answer?"

Riley took a deep breath; he hated being caught between this… How could he just give up one of Leaf's Pokémon? Especially when they were entrusted to him to watch over and protect? But if there was an opportunity to save Leaf and Knuckles… to return them back to their true selves… How could he deny them their lives?

"If I give you the Pokémon…" Riley said slowly, "You'll return Leaf and her Lucario back to life?"

"Not immediately," J answered coldly, "Once you hand over the Lake Pokémon, I will return to my ship. Once I am out of your infernal Aura ranges… I will restore those two nuisances back to their original state."

"And I'm merely expected to assume you'll stay true to your word?"

"Take it or leave it," J responded just as coldly as before.

Riley said nothing; instead he turned to Rukario, who had since returned to his side. He held the Pokémon's gaze, trying to gauge whether his previous display of anger was still clouding his judgment.

Rukario shook his head. He could see clearly. And from what he could see, he was certain. Hunter J would stay true to her word.

"Are you sure about that?" Riley murmured.

Rukario nodded firmly. It hardly seemed logical, but he could feel it. One's Aura never lies.

"Alright then," Riley began, his tone louder now, "I… accept your offer."

"Then give it to me!" J ordered harshly. Honestly, what was with all this fanfare? Why couldn't he just make up his mind quickly like an ordinary person?

Riley reluctantly reached into Leaf's bag and regretfully handed over the Ultra Ball containing her Legendary Pokémon.

J grinned wickedly once she finally held the Ball within her grasp, "Finally! The last Legendary Lake Pokémon is mine for the taking! I knew it was only a matter of time!"

"Now hold up your end of the bargain! If Leaf isn't restored within ten minutes, I swear I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and make you regret ever crossing an Aura Guardian!" Riley snapped, thoroughly disgusted with her display of arrogance.

J let out a laugh of contempt, "Your threats are laughable! You can call yourself whatever you want, but you're still a worthless excuse for a man."

Rukario growled in contempt of her words, but Riley noticed he made no warning as to J changing her mind in regards to their deal.

J continued to laugh scornfully as she resumed her perch atop her fearsome Salamence, "I hope this will be the last we'll see of each other, Aura Guardian. Pray that you'll never cross my path again. Next time, you'll hardly be so lucky."

"We'll see," Riley answered darkly.

At that, her Salamence took to the skies, and within seconds, Hunter J was out of sight.

"Keep an eye on her Aura," Riley quickly urged his Lucario, "I doubt she has the foresight to know just how far your senses can reach."

Rukario nodded and honed his senses, his Aura receptors standing on end as he focused. However, after several minutes, he stopped and shook his head in defeat. Hunter J was out of his range.

Riley frowned and gazed at the lifeless form of Leaf, "Leaf… This couldn't be worse… If only I had arrived sooner… I'm so sorry…"

oOoOoOo

"The target has been acquired. Open the doors," J spoke to her men through her visor, "As soon as I deposit the cargo, we'll be on our way. I want these Pokémon dropped off to Team Galactic right away."

"Yes sir!" the grunt responded quickly.

Once the doors to her impressive airship opened, J rode inside upon Salamence. From there, she recalled the dragon beast and made her way to the cargo bay. There, three capsules laid in wait. J opened the last one (the one the blue Ditto had been contained within previously) just enough for her new Legendary Pokémon to materialize within. She then promptly pressed the release button on her new Ultra Ball.

When Azelf was released, the blue and gray pixie Pokémon slowly opened his eyes and looked about in weary confusion, as if waking for the first time from a very deep sleep. Once he became aware that the woman standing before him was certainly not his Trainer, he began to shriek and thrash about within the capsule, trying to break free.

"Howl all you want, you're not coming out of there anytime soon…" J said with annoyance, "You should be grateful. Your pitiful Trainer's pathetic friend had the decency to hand you over without a fight. He spared you from a great deal of pain. Just look at Mesprit if you need an idea."

Azelf glanced at his battered and bruised sister and unleashed another Uproar attack. How dare this vile Hunter wreak havoc upon his family?

"Wear yourself out if you like; it makes no difference to me," J smirked and walked off to the bridge, suddenly bored of taunting helpless Pokémon.

It wasn't until J reached her captain's chair at the center of the bridge that she recalled her bargain with that gullible Aura Guardian. She was quite certain those wretched Aura trackers wouldn't be able to detect and ultimately follow her now. Most obviously, every power had its limits, well, except for hers of course. She was clearly unstoppable.

But yet, that researcher girl… Leaf was the only one who had managed to successfully deceive her… back when she had initially nabbed Azelf. That little incident angered her beyond belief, to be sure, but still… there was something about the challenge that that girl had presented. J hadn't had such difficulty tracking down Pokémon for a client in years. There was something refreshing about how accomplished she felt in finally achieving her victory after such a hard-fought war. However, looking back at the events that had just occurred less than an hour ago, it all just felt… far too easy. Like every other job she was called upon to tackle.

J's hand drifted slightly to her control panel. If this girl… if she managed to cross her path once again… Would she present another challenge? There was almost something thrilling in the thought of that prospect.

"Sir?" one of the helmsmen frowned at her slightly, abruptly breaking J from her thoughts with the sudden sound of his voice, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing that concerns you!" J snapped.

"S-sir!" the man gulped and promptly returned to his work.

In the momentary negligence, J's hand had gripped the control panel tightly in anger. Now, she gazed at the panel in thoughtful silence. The button which would allow Leaf and Knuckles' release flashed at her, as if it were asking her a question in its own way.

Without thinking on it any further, J looked away from the panel and smashed her fist onto it in contempt. Whether this action freed them or not, she didn't care! Fate would make the decision!

oOoOoOo

"Leaf!"

The moment Leaf was freed from her stony prison, she gasped for air in a quick, suffocating breath and swayed on her feet. She felt slightly dazed and stunned, almost as if she had just awaken from a dream in which she had fallen from a great height or had nearly drowned. On the ground beside her, Knuckles let out a similar sounding gasp and coughing fit.

"Leaf! Are you alright?" Riley cried and gingerly attempted to steady her.

"…I'm fine… I just feel a little funny, is all…" Leaf answered after she had caught her breath. She glanced over at Knuckles to see that Rukario had sat down beside him to quietly reassure and speak with him.

"You're sure?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. But… what happened? Where's Hunter-? Riley, what happened?"

"Leaf…" Riley let out a sigh, his gaze focused on the ground as he did so, "I'm sorry, but… I had to do it… I traded Azelf away for yours and Knuckles' safety…"

Leaf silently gazed at him as realization and comprehension began to sink in fully. Words were somehow unable to form in her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Leaf, I panicked, and I… I couldn't think of any other way…" Riley continued, "I was afraid that J might have left you that like that if I hadn't… I—"

"It's fine, Riley, really," Leaf cut in gently, resting her hand on his arm, "I know you did what you thought was the best choice. I trust you completely. You don't have to explain anything to me."

Riley looked momentarily stunned by such a heartfelt response and struggled to find an appropriate response of his own. In the end, he seemed to settle on giving her a silent nod. Leaf patted his arm lightly before turning her attention back on Knuckles, "Okay… So where's my bag? Oh, you have it, Rukario, thanks," she muttered softly as she pulled out a Full Restore, "…There; that should do it, Knuckles."

Knuckles eyes snapped open, his strength abruptly returning in full force. He sat up easily, but his posture sagged, as if he felt quite horrible about something.

"What's wrong, Knux? Are you feeling all right?" Leaf asked with concern. Rukario chose this moment to rise to his feet and leave in order to allow the two of them to speak together privately.

Knuckles nodded slowly and then quietly grumbled out his response. Physically, he felt fine, but deep down, he felt terrible… He had failed her immensely. If he had been stronger, then perhaps Azelf would still be safe with them… He should have done more to protect all of them. It had been left within his hands, and he had failed them all.

"Don't say that!" Leaf shook her head and rested a hand on his shoulder, "You went above and beyond. Honestly, Knuckles, you did everything you could and more; I could _never_ blame you for this. Really!"

Knuckles sighed, but seemed to accept that answer. He knew it was true, for the most part. He had used up every last bit of his energy in his defense of Leaf… There wasn't anything more he could have done. But still… if he wasn't to blame for Azelf's capture… Someone had to be. Things like this didn't just happen without some sort of cause. Someone had to be responsible. Someone didn't pull their own weight…

Knuckles' eyes flashed as he turned to gaze at Riley. Riley, the one was currently standing still like a useless moron and staring at the ground. Where was his dignity and courage? Why couldn't he have done something to prevent this from happening? Why couldn't he have just stopped Leaf from following him into trouble in the first place?

"Knuckles?" Leaf asked cautiously. Her Pokémon's eyes were filled with anger... He hadn't looked that way since that time she had brushed aside her hurt feelings… Back then, it was just some trivial nonsense. A couple brats had teased her for some reason or other. But now, perhaps it really did matter. Was she just trying to brush aside her disappointment about Azelf being lost? But even if she did, why would this make Knuckles so angry? It wasn't as if he could do anything now about Azelf being taken. Perhaps this anger could be stemming from frustration? Frustration at being helpless to do anything about it now? Well at least this time there was no target that he could potentially unleash this anger and frustration on… or was there?

Leaf's eyes widened with horror as she realized just who Knuckles was gazing at with apparent rage. Riley! Knuckles was going to blame _Riley_ for Azelf's being taken away! She couldn't let that happen! "Knuckles! _Stop_!"

But Knuckles wasn't listening. His anger was beyond reason, and her words fell on deaf ears. She watched in shock as he prepared himself to use Bone Rush.

Sensing the shift in Aura, Rukario abruptly turned to see his son forming a Bone Rush, and he knew exactly who its intended target was. He hurried over to reason with him, only to be met by a Bone Rush straight to the stomach. The super-effective blow hit hard, and the Lucario could only stumble in his attempt to stand upright.

"Blast it, Knuckles! _Stop it_! What the heck is wrong with you?" Leaf felt tempted to smack him across the head with her bag, but she knew that probably wasn't going to cut it. How could she force him to listen?

Meanwhile, Riley, deep in thought, was still gazing the ground, still wrapped up in his own shame and disappointment at failing to protect Azelf. At the sound of Leaf's outburst, he looked up from his thoughts and was surprised to see an angered Knuckles charging right for him!

oOoOoOo

Notes: Ugh, and again, I fail to reach the part where Azelf's importance is finally revealed… Seriously, I had no idea the chapter was going to wind up being this long. I'm sorry for all the delays…

Well, at least you now know why I threw in Duplica way back in chapter 24. That's something, right?

…

…Okay, before you decide to throw tomatoes, be sure to check out my new collab with ScotSniper if you haven't already! Chapter 1 is up!


	68. Chapter 68: Forgiveness

Riley looked up and was surprised to see Knuckles charging right for him!

A sudden and arguably stupid idea seized her, and Leaf refused to let it go, much like how she refused to let something this horrible and impossible happen to her close friend! Her own Pokémon! When had he become so reckless and destructive? But there was no time to think on that now. She only had one chance to put this plan into motion… and only a small window of time to accomplish it in…

Knuckles could hardly even see clearly, his anger had consumed him even more than he had realized. Once he had reached his target, he closed his eyes and geared up for a big hit. He wanted Riley to taste the pain and frustration he felt. How dare he ruin all of their hard work in trying to protect the legendary Pokémon! Riley had ruined everything in matter of hours! It was time for him to face the consequences.

Riley froze in place, too shocked and stunned to even comprehend what was happening. Before he could even blink, Leaf ran in front of him. Before he could think to push her out of the way, it was all over.

The blow Knuckles had intended for Riley's chest struck Leaf across the face. Knuckles had realized his mistake too late; the momentum behind the Bone Rush attack had been too strong for him to stop. Knuckles watched in horror as his Trainer fell to the ground. What had he done?

"Leaf!" Riley cried out in shock, "Are you alright?"

Knuckles' bone disappeared immediately. Like Riley, he hurried forward to try to help her.

"Don't even touch me, Lucario!" Leaf ordered angrily.

Knuckles halted. Guilt ripped away at his insides. He felt horrible and wretched. How could have harmed the one person he trusted the most? He had ruined her trust singlehandedly in a matter of seconds. How could he have allowed his emotions to take things this far? The way Leaf looked at him… He was certain there was no going back now. He had lost his Trainer's friendship…

"How dare you try to attack Riley!" Leaf continued, the derision in her voice high and her disgust with him apparent, "Riley is my best friend, and if you hurt him, you're basically hurting me! Do you hear that? Don't you _ever _let me catch you attacking a friend of mine again!"

"Leaf, please…" Riley knelt beside her, "You're hurt… Don't strain yourself. We can sort this matter out later; I need to make certain that you're alright."

"I'm fine!" Leaf answered stubbornly, but her cheek was throbbing painfully, the pain increasing with every word she spoke. Honestly, she felt horrible, but she refused to let Riley know that.

"Let me look…" Riley gently brushed her hand away so that he could look at her closely.

"…How bad is it?"

"You've already got a bruise…" Riley admitted, "But honestly, I'm thankful your jaw hasn't been broken… Do you have all of your teeth?"

"Yeah… they're all there…"

Riley carefully embraced her, "Leaf… you have to stop being so reckless… You could have been seriously injured…"

Leaf wanted to respond, to say something to lift the mood, but her face was hurting too badly, so she settled on remaining silent. Her mind began to buzz with other thoughts, to other matters more pressing to her than her personal condition.

Rukario eased himself back on his feet. He glared at his son with contempt; that little ingrate needed to be taught a lesson. And when Rukario teaches a lesson, he doesn't do so lightly. It had been a while since he had last used Bone Rush, but when a disciplined Lucario like him is determined enough, anything is possible.

Rukario rushed up to Knuckles and gave him a taste of what a "real" Bone Rush feels like.

"Rukario! Stop! That's enough!" Riley ordered loudly.

Rukario begrudgingly ceased his attack while Knuckles merely crumpled to the ground, too ashamed to even attempt to defend himself.

"Knuckles has gone through enough…" Riley continued, "I appreciate your sense of justice, Rukario, but the situation is under control now. I don't need you doling out unnecessary punishment. Please return," And at that, Riley recalled the Lucario.

Still settled in Riley's embrace, Leaf turned her head and watched the scene with an ever increasing lump in her throat. Seeing Knuckles just lying there, the picture of guilt and shame, sent her over the edge.

"Oh, Riley!" she cried and buried her face against his shoulder, "I'm just… I'm such an awful Trainer!"

Riley was stunned at such a sudden outburst and was shocked to feel the wet presence of tears on his shoulder, "Leaf… What makes you say that? You know that's not true…"

"It _is _true!" Leaf cried, "I've lost Azelf… and look at Knuckles now… He's attacking people! I must've… Something must've happened to cause that! I'm their Trainer! It must've been something I've done!"

"Leaf…" Riley said softly, "How can you say that? You're a wonderful Trainer; you know that…"

"You're wrong…" Leaf shook her head, her tears falling all over Riley's jacket, "I _was _a great Trainer… but somehow… I must have done something different since I came to Sinnoh… I've done something wrong… That explains why the problems only concern Knuckles and Azelf…"

"You haven't done anything wrong," Riley insisted, "Don't forget; I've only known you since your arrival to Sinnoh, and I haven't seen you do any wrong. You're a good person, Leaf, and a great Trainer too."

Leaf shook her head again, "I'm an awful Trainer… I never even let Azelf out of his Pokéball once… Not even once… He never even had the chance to meet me or the other Pokémon… And now, it's too late for any of that… He's gone… I lost him…"

"You were trying to protect him," Riley told her, gently stroking her hair, "You weren't trying to shut him out of our lives… You only wanted to keep him safe."

Leaf finally pulled away from Riley's embrace to face him directly, "By not letting him live his life freely? What's the point in being safe if you're locked away in a Pokéball for the rest of your life? If Azelf was going to wind up being taken away from me, then I should have let him live freely while he had the chance!

"But instead…" Leaf looked down at the ground, "I forced him to hide away like a coward… Like the coward I am…"

"Leaf…" Riley gently pulled her into another embrace, "You're not a coward…"

Leaf sniffled. The pain on her cheek had spread all across her face while she had spoken earlier, and now she felt too badly to protest any longer. She settled on quietly crying instead.

"Now that I think of it… courage doesn't come from a lack of fear," Riley continued, his tone contemplative and quiet, "No, courage is all about facing your fear, and I know you have the strength to do that, Leaf. It's in your Aura."

In spite of the fact that she was crying, Leaf couldn't help but let out a laugh, "Again with the Aura! Geez, Riley, you're too much!"

Riley smiled, "Well, it's true, you know."

Leaf quietly sniffled some more, and Riley patiently and gently resumed stroking her hair until she fell silent.

"We should get back to the Center; I bet Toby is worried," he said after he felt she had reasonably calmed down.

"Oh gosh; that's right…" Leaf pulled away from Riley's shoulder, "Oh, no… I totally ruined your jacket…" she realized and carefully tried to rub away the wet stains her tears left behind.

"That's fine; don't worry about it," Riley chuckled, "I'm just glad you're feeling better now."

"Now really… You're just too sweet, you know?" Leaf gave him a quick hug before quickly pulling away, "Thank you." She then glanced over in Knuckles' direction hesitantly, "Uh, well… we're going now…"

Knuckles slowly rose to his feet and glumly avoided her gaze. Once Leaf and Riley began to walk back to the Pokémon Center where Toby was likely waiting, Leaf quickly looked back to see that Knuckles was following them.

oOoOoOo

"Ah! Leaf! Leaf is back!" Toby cried happily when the two Trainers and Knuckles approached.

"Toby! I'm sorry if I worried you, but I sure am glad to see you!" Leaf ran up and hugged him openly, much to Riley's surprise.

"Toby know that Leaf is safe with Knuckles!" Toby grinned and happily returned her embrace.

Once his words registered into her mind, Leaf stiffened in Toby's arms. Riley looked rather uncomfortable, and Knuckles' posture slumped.

Toby noticed all of this along with the sudden shift in Aura, "Uh… Toby say bad thing?"

"No, Toby. You're fine," Leaf pulled away and patted his shoulder.

"HELLO KITTY!" Blathers screamed as he flew out of the Pokémon Center and into Leaf's arms for a loving embrace.

"Hey Blathers… I missed you too," Leaf managed a small smile, "… But what are you doing out of your Pokéball?"

"You have ONE unheard message. FRIDAY. FOUR THIRTY-SEVEN PM," the Chatot droned. And then his voice sounded surprisingly similar to a recorded version of Riley's voice, "Chatot, listen to me. Leaf left a while ago, and she still hasn't returned. We're starting to worry, so Toby and I have decided to go looking for her. I need you to wait here just in case she comes back," After this point Blathers resumed his mechanical-sounding voice, "End of message. To erase this message, press four. To view your options, press star. To-"

"Okay, I get it, Blathers…" Leaf replied and poked him in the stomach (as if to imitate pressing a button).

"Hoo-Hoomm!" Blathers giggled at her touch, sounding surprisingly similar to a famous piece of dough. Exactly five seconds later, his eyes widened from enormous shock, "SWEET MOTHER OF WEEGEE, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO YOUR FACE?"

"I don't really want to talk about it right now, okay?" Leaf sighed, "Look, I'm sorry, Blathers, but I just don't have the energy for your antics right now… Please just return to your Pokéball… "

"The F stands for ROCKETS!" Blathers wailed loudly as he was sent back into his Pokéball.

"I'm sorry, guys," Leaf turned to Toby and Riley with a tired look on her face, "I really need to just lie down right now… You mind?"

"Of course not," Riley shook his head quickly, "You rest. I'll explain everything to Toby. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks," Leaf replied quietly and headed off for the girls' dorms. Without so much as glancing anywhere above floor level, Knuckles followed after her, making certain to leave a wide berth between them. He stopped outside of girls' door and sat on the floor nearby it alone.

Riley watched them leave for a moments before turning to Toby and sighing. He certainly had a long story to tell.

oOoOoOo

After a long nap (or rather, a long stay in bed without any sleep), Leaf decided to return to the lobby of the Center and work on responding to her emails. She was finished with her hesitancies. She was going to tell Rowan everything this time. She had lost Azelf, but she was going to get him back. It may take her until she was Rowan's age herself, but she wasn't going to give up. Never again.

The lobby was quiet and empty. Normally, Trainers didn't venture into the lobby at this hour; most were preparing for bed and chatting with their friends, reflecting on the day or planning and deciding what they will do in the morning. Leaf vaguely wondered whether that was what Riley and Toby were doing right now. They might even be asleep for all she knew.

Leaf looked up from her screen when she suddenly noticed someone plop down on the seat beside her. She glanced over to see Knuckles sitting there avidly staring at the floor below them. Leaf said nothing and resumed her work.

Slowly, Knuckles looked up from the ground and looked at Leaf. She didn't look back at him. Knuckles instead directed his gaze upon the computer screen. There weren't any people in there this time, only the white screen with many markings scattered everywhere. He could still see the changing picture gallery in the corner though. It flashed through the same pictures he had seen last time. It tore Knuckles' heart apart looking at those pictures. He knew things would never be the same. That was before, when he was a kind and loving Riolu, but now… he was nothing like that now.

Knuckles was startled out of his thoughts when Leaf suddenly closed her laptop. She carefully tucked it away before turning to face Knuckles, "So… I'm supposing you have something to say for yourself?"

Knuckles' gaze returned to the ground. Meekly, he mumbled out his apology. Leaf could almost see the guilt eating away at his insides. She sighed deeply, "I appreciate your apology. But I have to say, you owe another one to someone else… and I think you already know who that is…"

Knuckles nodded slowly and explained the situation. He had already spoken with Riley, and he was quick to forgive him.

"You apologized to Riley too?" Leaf was surprised.

Knuckles nodded, still looking ashamed and glum.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd do that…" Leaf looked away thoughtfully, but then she suddenly inhaled once a new thought occurred to her, "Knuckles… why did you try to attack Riley?"

Knuckles looked surprised at such a sudden and straightforward question. But he told her the truth. He really didn't know. He must have snapped; he could hardly remember his strange thought process at the time. Something must have gotten the better of him and stolen his reason away.

"Really…" Leaf looked thoughtful, "Well, whatever it was… will you promise me that you'll work on getting it under control? I don't want to see any of this happening again."

Knuckles nodded fervently. After what he did, he would readily accept any request of hers. It was the least he could do for her.

"Good," Leaf smiled and rose to her feet, "Now that that's been taken care of, I really want a hug from you now. It's been a long and terrible day, and I want this to be the start of turning things back around."

Once Knuckles rose to his feet, Leaf tenderly embraced him. She was used to him stiffening up whenever she hugged him, but was a bit surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her and rest on the small of her back. Instead of standing still and receiving the hug like he usually did, Knuckles embraced her back, almost as if he had not seen her in years.

Leaf was slightly stunned, but slowly, the realization began to dawn on her, "Oh Knuckles… you didn't think I was going to forgive you, did you?"

A soft and choked sound erupted from Knuckles' throat as if he were near tears. Instead of speaking, he settled on nodding his head.

"Knuckles…" Leaf began softly and tenderly rested one hand on his back and the other against his dreads, "You're a sweet Pokémon. You've done far too many good things for me to ever hate you. Your good points far outweigh the bad, and I would never turn my back on you for making a mistake. What happened today isn't a normal occurrence from you, and I can't judge you based on that single instance alone. I love you, Knuckles, and you'd have to do a lot of bad things for that to ever change."

Knuckles sniffed quietly and leaned further into her embrace. Leaf softly smiled and held him close.

oOoOoOo

Notes: Well, I'd say this is a fitting chapter to celebrate AA's birthday. =D The bond between Leaf and Knuckles just felt so sweet.

And also, finally, the reason why Leaf left Azelf in the Pokéball so much has been revealed!

Yup, that's right! Leaf is a total coward! And now, it's up to her to find her courage and save Azelf from whatever horrible things the villains have in store for him and his siblings!

And as for Knuckles, he really needs to get his emotions sorted out, wouldn't you say?

Okay! I'm getting a bit carried away! Enough hints for the future chapters!

Oh, and before anyone asks, I decided to use my "magical powers" as the author of this story to save Leaf from potential teeth loss. Yes, I know she really should have gotten some teeth knocked out or had her jaw broken or something… It does seem unrealistic that she would so easily endure a Pokémon's attack, but I didn't feel like having her visit the doctor or the dentist… That would have been boring and distracting from what I really wanted to come out of all this turmoil.

Anyway, thank you everyone for your interest in the story so far!


	69. Chapter 69: Metal Cheese!

I want to start with some quick responses…

jj: I'm sorry; I forgot to answer your question last time! No, Ash, Dawn, and Brock will not appear in this story. I thought about it once, but no, they just don't fit in.

The Flying Lion: I have a surprise for you…

Now on with the story!

oOoOoOo

Knuckles awoke with a start to find himself lying on a cold and unforgiving metal ground. He rose quickly and looked around wildly. The floor of the Pokémon Center wasn't exactly comfortable, but it wasn't made of metal! Where was he?

He peered into the darkness, but he could only see faint light signals flickering in the distance. When he used his Aura senses, he could see nothing… There didn't seem to be any living life forms around here… but wait! … Was that…?

"Greetings! Arigato, Mister Robatto! I am—the robot! I am, I am! I am _all_ of me!" a familiar voice screeched.

"Blathers? Is that you?" Knuckles struggled to maintain his sights on the bird's Aura, but it was fading fast, "What's wrong with your Aura? What's happening to you?"

"I am no longer Blathers! No! I am the mighty, ultimate life form! Muahahaha!"

"… Is this just another instance of your madness in action, or what?"

"I'm not mad! I'm mighty now!"

"…Why?"

"Because I am a robot! Me and… well, all the other helpless birds and woodland creatures…"

And at that, Blathers' Aura faded completely. Knuckles' eyes snapped open, and he was nearly blinded at the sudden and harsh light. Once his eyes finally became accustomed to the lighting, he beheld quite a few metallic objects standing before him.

"Are you ready to give back the Master Emerald?" the smallest creature of metal growled at him. Its voice was that of Blathers…

"… Blathers?" Knuckles stared, "What_ happened_ to you?"

"Bwahahahahahaha! Like I told you _three seconds ago_, I am _no longer _Blathers! I have a new name now! They call me… Metal Cheese!"

"Metal… Cheese?" Knuckles repeated in disbelief.

"Yes! Don't make fun of my name, or I will kill you for it!" Blathers shrieked and flew up above his metallic companions to rest upon an upper balcony. From there, he could easily oversee all of the action while remaining well out of harm's way, "Now… BATTLE! Round One! Fight!"

"What?"

Suddenly, all of the metallic creatures sprang at him, and Knuckles quickly sprinted to the left to avoid all of the incoming "Tackle" attacks.

"What's going on? Why are they-? Are we holding a battle?" Knuckles was flustered and confused.

"Duh!" Blathers, or rather, "Metal Cheese" scoffed, "That's why I said 'Round One! Fight!' Now get to battling before I start _yelling _at you!"

"Oh, how scary…" Knuckles said sarcastically.

"Attack, my robot army!" Metal Cheese screeched.

The nearest robot promptly shot two "Flamethrower" attacks from its arm cannons. Thanks to the creature's absence of Aura, Knuckles didn't have the chance to anticipate the attack. He ducked to the ground in a desperate attempt to avoid the flames. Despite this, the flames licked his back and seared his Aura receptors, causing the Lucario to cry out in pain.

Once the flame cannon ran out of juice, the robot fell back to laugh like a mindless and robotic idiot, "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" it droned in a completely mirthless fashion. The others joined in as though their victory was already assured.

Knuckles stood up and yelled in utter irritation, "Blathers! That actually _hurt_! Cut it out! This _isn't_ funny!"

"I already _told_ you! I'm _METAL CHEESE!_ Geez, how many times do I have to say it?" Metal Cheese screeched.

Knuckles took advantage of the robots' ignorant displays of pride and used their heads as springboards as he hopped from bot to bot to reach his real enemy, Metal Cheese, "Look Blathers! I am _not _going to play your games!" he reached down to seize the stout and round Metal Cheese so that he could have direct eye contact with him.

"Augh! Stop it! Put me down!" Metal Cheese whined, thrashing his stubby feet in a pathetic attempt at escaping Knuckles' grip, "Help meeeee!"

"Just call off the robots, and I'll let you go."

"Stop! Put me down! Why don't you get yourself a teddy bear or something?" Metal Cheese merely continued to whine annoyingly.

"Brzzt! He's attacking the leader! Stop that echidna! Brzzt! Stop him! Stop him!" a bee-shaped robot droned before shooting small, yellow spheres at Knuckles.

"Fine! I'll just stop them myself!" Knuckles cried in annoyance and chucked Metal Cheese at the wall.

Metal Cheese smashed into the wall with a resounding clang, yet still looked completely unharmed seconds later, "Whew! Thanks for holding me, but you were a little rough…"

Knuckles ignored him and fired an Aura Sphere at the bee robot, which promptly exploded. Knuckles smirked in triumph. He had a feeling these robot creatures were steel types, and his fighting type attacks were perfect for taking them down! It was time to clean house!

Now that he was assured of their weaknesses, Knuckles leapt onto the railing of the balcony to prepare his next attack. The robots down below looked to be scrambling to find a way up to his level, but they wouldn't have to worry about that for long.

Knuckles leapt down to the ground, falling and landing rather harshly atop the largest robot, nearly smashing him to pieces with the force of his own weight. But Knuckles wasn't finished there. The moment Knuckles landed on and crushed that giant robot with the arm cannons, he took aim and blasted two others with an Aura Sphere formed in each one of his paws.

The attacks hit their targets, and Knuckles used the resulting smoke and confusion from their explosions to leap away from the big bot he had crushed to pursue his next targets. The two giant grasshopper robots hardly saw it coming when Knuckles assaulted them both with a well-executed Force Palm each.

"Ability Activate! Ability Activate!" Metal Cheese shrieked, "Why isn't anything working? Fight, my robot minions! Fight! What da _heck_ is wrong with you? Is this _Sparta _or is this _Candyland_? Get it together already and fiiiiiiiiiiiiggghttt!"

Knuckles squared off with the remaining two robots (the one he squished earlier was still operating, but it was too slow to be that much of a concern to Knuckles at the moment).

"Born to be fast!" Metal Cheese screamed, flying about in the strangest fashion, as if he were drunk.

"PiKAchu!" the robot on the left suddenly started to emit electricity from his cheeks (although the robot itself looked nothing like a Pikachu.)

Knuckles howled in pain as the electricity coursed through his body, jarring all of his senses.

"Pika! _Pika_! Pika! Pi!" the two robots high-fived briefly before turning their full attention back on Knuckles.

"QUIT ACTING LIKE RETARDED PIKACHUS AND GET THE SMASH BALL!" Metal Cheese shrieked.

Knuckles looked up and was shocked to see an orb floating around and glowing in many different colors… He didn't know what it was, but his Aura senses told him it was filled with power… He had to reach it before the others!

"PIKA!" the smarter of the two robots was attempting to destroy the Smash Ball with a Thunder attack, but the orb's erratic movements kept causing the attacks to miss.

Knuckles closed his eyes and honed his senses. The orb's power was explosive… and now, thanks to his Aura, he knew where it was going to be next.

The moment the time was right, Knuckles leapt up to the wall and clung to it momentarily with the help of his Aura. Once there, he leapt away from the wall and smashed the Smash Ball, breaking it open with his fist.

"WHAT? HE DID ALL THAT WITH HIS EYES CLOSED! CHEATER!" Blathers, or to be more accurate, Metal Cheese screamed.

For a moment, Knuckles merely floated in midair, trembling with the power granted to him by the orb. It filled his entire being!

"_Watch the power of Aura_!" Knuckles roared. In a flash, he rose high into the air and held his arms above his head as an enormous amount of Aura energy began to form in his palms, "_HYAAAAAAA_!"

A horrifically powerful Aura beam ripped through the air and tore apart all of the remaining robots, crunching them into dust.

Within moments, Knuckles returned to the ground and stood amongst the heap of destroyed metal. As he stood contemplating the huge amount of power that had given and taken from him in such a short amount of time, Knuckles became aware of the presence of many little animals and birds dancing around him and cheering.

Knuckles stared; he had never seen Pokémon that looked like these creatures before, "What _are_ these things?"

"All the helpless woodland creatures, of course!" Metal Cheese shrieked wildly.

Knuckles looked up in surprise. Oh, that was right… He had completely forgotten to take out Metal Cheese.

"All toasters toast TOAST!" he screeched and flew about in a random and crazed pattern, but Knuckles managed to grab him before he could do any damage.

"No, all toasters toast _bread_," Knuckles corrected. He was only a Pokémon and had never even used a toaster before, and even he knew better!

"Ow! Stop it! Put me down!" Metal Cheese whined again.

But instead of doing that, Knuckles promptly ripped his robot head off and revealed… Blathers!

"Blathers?" Knuckles blinked profusely, "You were _inside_ Metal Cheese all along? And here, I was starting to think he just had found some way to copy the sound of your voice…"

"No, Knuckles…" Blathers discarded his metal shell and flew beside his Lucario friend, "I wasn't myself just then… You have to forgive me for all the horrible things I did as Metal Cheese…!" he continued, with a rare serious look on his features.

"Well, I'm just glad you're safe now-"

"Oh, Knuckles!" Blathers sobbed, throwing himself at Knuckles and wrapping his wings around him tightly, "I was *sob* so scared! This ugly fat man _forced_ me to become a robot just because I'm a tiny bird! Isn't that so racist and evil? But _you_ saved me, Knuckles! I LOVE YOU!"

"Yeah, okay!" Knuckles pried the hysterical bird off of himself and pushed him away, "Just get a grip already!"

"Ha ha! I _knew _they would _never _get their hands on the Master Emerald!" Blathers cried triumphantly, "Nice work, mah boi!"

Deciding to ignore Blathers completely for now, Knuckles instead smiled at the "woodland creatures" who were now regarding him gratefully and with adoration in their eyes. He still didn't really know what they were, but he was happy that they were free now. And now, he felt pleased that the entire room was no longer devoid of Aura. These creatures had their hearts and minds returned to them, and now they were free to live peacefully. In truth, the Aura-less robot creatures had scared him a bit with their complete lack of life energy, but now the area was brimming with life once more. It was all thanks to the power of his Aura…

Knuckles suddenly opened his eyes and was astonished to discover that it was all a dream… A dream! How could that be? It felt so real!

After he had managed to shake off the shock, Knuckles rose to his feet and was surprised to see that Leaf was sound asleep. That was strange. She normally woke up long before he did; he must have awakened early today…

He walked up closer to her, and his stomach swirled with renewed guilt. The bruise on Leaf's face had spread, and it was now a sickly greenish color. In his dream, Knuckles had relished in the fact that his strength had been used to save others, but now the facts of reality hit him hard. What good was his power if it only hurt his friends? He needed to find some sort of balance… a happy medium between might and restraint. He had to make certain that he would never go over-board again.

With these thoughts in mind, Knuckles returned to his seat upon the floor and prepared to meditate. He had been slacking with his meditations lately, and surely, that had to be part of yesterday's problem. Perhaps if he worked harder at calming and sorting out all of the issues in his mind, he could achieve this balance. As he closed his eyes to concentrate, Knuckles vowed to find out.

oOoOoOo

The shiny blue Ditto struggled to open his eyes… He felt so sore… What had happened…?

"Hey Mister! Are you waking up? Are you?" an eager voice sounded out, "It looks like you're trying to open your eyes! Does that mean you're trying to wake up? Does it?"

"Ditto, please give the patient some space," another voice said softly.

"Come here, Mini Ditt! You need to stay back, like the Nurse says," yet another voice cried out.

At last, Ditto opened his eyes and realized that he was lying on a little hospital bed. Was he in the Pokémon Center? But who would have brought him here?

"Oh good! It looks like you're doing better already! How are you feeling, Ditto?"

Ditto looked up to see a girl with blue pigtails smiling brightly at him. He blinked. Who was this girl? Did she save him?

"Yes, he's going to be just fine," Nurse Joy smiled, "It's a good thing you brought him in when you did… I don't think he would have made a full recovery if you hadn't."

"Oh please, Master Duplica! Let me talk to him! Please! _Please_!" the Ditto in the girl's arms flailed around wildly.

"What's wrong, Mini Ditt?" Duplica looked down at her Ditto in confusion.

Mini Ditt struggled until he managed to free himself from her grip. Instead of falling down to the ground, the pink Pokémon transformed into a Carnivine just like the one that was currently asleep in the bed beside the blue Ditto. From there, Mini Ditt used Vine Whip to hoist himself onto Ditto's bed, "Hi! I'm back!" he announced proudly.

"Oh Mini Ditt! You're impossible! Make sure you don't bother him at the very least, okay?" Duplica looked a little annoyed, but she didn't try to pick her Pokémon back up into her arms, "So, Nurse Joy, when do you suppose this Ditto here will be well enough to return back to the wild?"

"Chansey! Chansey!" Just then, a Chansey burst into room with an urgent look on her face, "Chansey! Chansey!"

"Oh my, I'm coming, Chansey…!" Joy sighed, "You wouldn't mind lending a hand again, would you, Duplica?"

"Oh no, of course not! I'm happy to help out!" Duplica nodded at her and started to follow her out before turning to Mini Ditt, "Be sure not to tire out that Ditto, and I'll be right back!"

"Ditto!" the miniature Carnivine saluted her.

"Thank you so much, Duplica; you've been a great help today…" Nurse Joy was saying as they walked out of the room, "We certainly need more Nurses these days… It gets to be so tiring working for twenty-four hours every day…"

"Twenty-four hours every day?" Duplica repeated, incredulous, "When do you sleep?"

As much as Ditto wanted to hear the answer to that question, the door shut just then, and the response remained unheard.

"So what's your name? What is it?" Mini Ditt asked excitedly.

"Ditto…" the blue Ditto responded lamely.

"Hey! That's my friend's name!"

"Yeah… I suppose a lot of Ditto are that way…"

"So, why were you in the forest all alone and all beat up? Did somebody attack you? What happened?"

"It's a long story…" Ditto explained with a sigh. He then proceeded to explain how he came to meet the legendary Mesprit, how he decided to join her on her quest to evade the evil Hunter J, and how Mesprit wound up being captured in the end. He told the little Ditto everything, and Mini Ditt listened intently, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide.

"Wow, you are so cool, Mister Ditto…! You got to meet a _legendary_ Pokémon, and it must have been _so _hard to trick all the humans like that!" Mini Ditt cried after the entire story was told to him, "You are like… a _super_ hero or something…!"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far…" Ditto admitted with a small smile, "But I do know one thing for certain: I need to find Mesprit and save her! The whole of Sinnoh just may depend on it!"

Mini Ditt nearly lost his balance in surprise, "Oh no! It's all so much! Do you think my friends and I could help you out somehow? I'm sure Duplica can help!"

"I would be grateful for any help that anyone has to give, really…"

"Okay! I'll tell Duplica everything you just told me! Er… I guess I'll tell my friend Ditto, and then _he'll _tell her, since she understands him the best… He was her starter, I think…"

"Well, thank you, little one…" Ditto smiled at him.

"Hey! I'm _not_ little, you know!"

"Ha ha… Sorry…"

"Oh hey! I almost forgot! Why are you blue and shiny, huh? Did you play too much in some shiny and blue sand, maybe? Yeah! I bet all those shinies on you are pieces of blue sand! Sand that came from the ocean, I bet!"

"You've quite the imagination…" Ditto said with a small laugh, "But I'm afraid that's not the case. The truth is: I was born this color. I've been this way as far back as I can remember…"

"Oh… Well… when you transform… do you shine as much as you do now?"

"I can…" Ditto replied, "But normally, I do my best not to shine unless the Pokémon I'm imitating does as well… You see, I don't want to stand out all that much."

"Duplica tells me that you _should_ stand out! It's what makes you special!" the little Carnivine said earnestly.

"Well… maybe she might be right…" Ditto mused, "I'll try and keep that in mind…"

oOoOoOo

Notes: So how long has it been since I wrote a dream for someone? Too long! That's why I had to write one for Knuckles! And it worked out perfectly, what with Flying Lion's somewhat random request for Knux to fight a robot... and we always need more of Blathers' random antics! Everyone wins!

And now, the story has over 300 reviews! It's madness! It's-the perfect time to make a joke about SPARTA! No, actually, to be serious, I am very grateful for all the input. It makes me happy that people are interested enough to tell me their opinions. I posted this story on a complete whim, and I'm so glad that I did it. My writing skills have improved, I've met a bunch of great people, and I've had fun writing all this. Hopefully you've had fun reading… and aren't bored with my giant author's notes!


	70. Chapter 70: Taking Care of Business

"Riley! I've got it!" Leaf declared and suddenly smacked her hands against the table in order to attract her friend's attention.

"W-what?" Riley looked up in confusion, completely jolted out of his reading of the newspaper.

"I've figured out the perfect plan to save Azelf!"

"You have? Already?" Riley looked a bit taken aback, "…What did you have in mind?"

"Well…" Leaf began slowly, but paused to look around, "Wait! Where's Toby? He awake yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Maybe I'd better wait 'til he gets up then… Otherwise, I'll have to explain everything twice…"

"If you say so. After I finish with this last article here, I'll go in and see if I can't get him to move along."

"Actually," Leaf perked up again, "there's something else I need to straighten out first! Would you mind letting Rukario out of his Pokéball for a minute or two?"

"Sure…" Riley reached into his pocket for said Pokéball, though he did look a tad confused by the sudden request.

While all of this was going on, Knuckles hung back slightly, still feeling a bit awkward over what he had done yesterday. But at the mention of his father's name, he felt absolutely ashamed and wanted to just run out of there.

Upon being released, Rukario looked at Leaf somewhat curiously before glowering at Knuckles.

"Rukario…" Leaf took both of his paws in her hands and gazed at him pleadingly, "You'll forgive Knuckles, won't you? …Please? …For me?"

Quite understandably, Rukario looked… absolutely horrified. Just what was she up to this time?

After seeing this sort of reaction, Leaf had to turn away before she started laughing, "Okay, I'm sorry… I actually hate it when girls do stuff like that, as if they're so pretty and wonderful that guys must do anything for them…"

"…If that's how you feel," Riley raised an eyebrow in confusion, "then why did you just do that?"

"Because…" Leaf held out her hands, as if the answer were obvious, "I wanted to see if it would work…!"

Riley and both Lucario could hardly maintain their balance after hearing that, thanks to the sheer strangeness of that logic.

Leaf just giggled, "Okay, now that the mood's been lifted a little, I think it's time to be serious for a minute here… Now, really, Rukario, I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive Knuckles. He's not a bad Pokémon, and I hope you won't judge him so harshly based off this one single instance… I know he feels awful about what he's done, so I think he deserves a second chance. I'm sure he'd do the same for you."

Rukario listened intently to what she had to say, but the moment she was finished, he turned away and huffed.

"Wow… even after all that, huh?" Leaf scratched her head. This little dude was just as stubborn as Knuckles tended to be himself. Now she knew where he got it from.

"He's working on it…" Riley broke in somewhat sheepishly, "I'm sure he'll get over it sometime soon… He just needs time. He'll come around eventually, I'm sure of it…"

"I hope so…"

"Ha ha! Awake now!" Toby headed over to them with a smile on his face as usual.

"Toby! Great! You're awake!" Leaf grinned, "Now I can explain my plan!"

"Plan?" Toby looked confused, "Plan what?"

"My plan for saving Azelf!" Leaf explained, "Now listen, the first thing we'll need to do to set my plan into motion is to head to Veilstone City!"

"Veilstone City?" Riley repeated blankly, "Why head there? I thought we were going to go after Hunter J…"

"Think about it, Riley! Why do you think Hunter J stole Azelf in the first place? She's a _bounty _hunter! Therefore, we'd be wasting our time tracking her down! By this time, I'm certain she's already sold him to the highest bidder!"

"And that would be…?"

"Team Galactic!"

Riley blinked in surprise, "How… how can you be so sure?"

"Why else would they have given up the chase to get the legendary Pokémon of the Lakes? I'm thinking they decided to sit back and let Hunter J do all the dirty work of tracking them down!"

"Well, alright… I'll buy that. But why are we heading to Veilstone?"

"That's where Team Galactic's secret base is!"

"Secret base?" Riley repeated blankly, "I hear there's a Galactic building in Veilstone, but…"

"That's it!" Leaf nodded fervently, "They act like they're just some harmless energy company, but I _know_ they're up to no good! That building _has _to be where they're keeping Azelf!"

"Maybe…" Riley looked thoughtful, "I suppose it's worth a shot… but how are we going to get inside?"

"That's where my plan comes in…" Leaf smiled deviously, "We're going to walk right on in, and no one will stop us!"

"Walk in and do what? Smile? Then battle?" Toby looked confused.

"We'll be wearing disguises, so no one will know it's us!"

"What kind of disguises?" Riley asked tentatively.

"Business clothes," Leaf explained, "We'll pretend we're some kind of businessmen with a great deal for them. Every business wants more money, so they'll certainly listen to us… And, once they let their guards down, we'll pull out our Pokéballs and attack! They'll _never _suspect it!"

"Are you certain that will work?" Riley looked doubtful.

"Of course it will!" Leaf insisted, "And of course, if it turns out that they're totally dumb, we can just steal Azelf back without even having to battle anyone!"

"Oh yes!" Toby grinned happily, "Toby will be _great _businessman! No bad person will know who Toby is!"

"… Actually, Toby," Leaf broke in hesitantly, "I'm grateful for your enthusiasm, but I think Riley and I will have to handle it ourselves this time."

"Oh…" Toby frowned.

"I'm sorry," Leaf patted his arm, "But I'm afraid you might accidentally give us away with your charming personality… You know, most businessmen are extremely serious."

"Oh, right!" Toby realized, "Hmm… Yes! Toby _do_ hate business!"

"… Then it's settled?" Leaf looked at Riley expectantly.

"It's settled," Riley shrugged slightly.

"Great!" Leaf couldn't resist the urge to pump her fist into the air with enthusiasm, "Then let's do this!"

oOoOoOo

"Uh, hey, Knuckles? What are you doing?" Leaf paused in her perusing of the sales rack of a random clothing store in the Veilstone City Mall to stare at her Pokémon.

Knuckles shrugged at her lightly. He felt the answer was obvious: he was tired of her taking forever whenever she went to these sorts of stores to find something to wear! Surely, he could find something faster! And plus, he was tired of standing around doing nothing anyway.

"…Okay…" Leaf raised an eyebrow at Knuckles as he proceeded to sift through the sales rack of women's clothes, just like any other customer.

Within seconds, her Lucario pulled out an ugly-looking blouse and held it out expectantly.

"Uh… Thanks, but no thanks. That's not exactly business attire, and it's… not really my style either."

Knuckles grunted in annoyance and threw the shirt aside, where it landed on the floor.

"Hey! You can't just throw the stuff you don't want on the floor, for crying out loud!" Leaf cried as she went over to pick it up and set it back on the rack. She carefully replaced the shirt, only to see Knuckles practically dive into the clothing rack. Apparently, he had spotted something that he wanted on the other side of the aisle.

"Get _out _of the clothes rack!" Leaf hissed, trying to grab his tail and yank him back out, "Get _back_ here! You're gonna get your stupid fur all over the clothes!"

"Excuse me?" a saleslady walked up to Leaf with a bright smile on her face, "Do you need some help today, ma'am?"

"No!" Leaf exclaimed, "I mean, yes! Please!"

"Okay! What are you looking for today, ma'am?"

"I'm, uh…"

At that moment, Knuckles popped out from the clothes rack and held out his newest find (an ugly Christmas-style sweater, something that was probably left over from last season).

"Oh!" the saleswoman clapped her hand to her mouth in an over-exaggerated expression of surprise, "I didn't see you there! But oh my! You're such a cute little Pokémon, aren't you?" she reached out to ruffle the fur atop his head, much to Knuckles' annoyance. He certainly did _not _consider himself to be a little Pokémon.

"Ah, so how may I help you today?" the lady began again, her smile still beyond radiant.

"Yeah, I'm looking for something to wear for my business meeting…" Leaf told her, wondering just how convincing this sounded.

"Oh! How exciting! I know the _perfect_ outfit for you!" This saleswoman was even happier about helping her out than Leaf could ever have imagined… And at that, she promptly led Leaf away to the proper department.

oOoOoOo

"Wow, I actually love this outfit…! It actually looks pretty good on me! What do you think, Knuckles?" Leaf asked as she walked out of the dressing room and beheld her reflection in the mirror. She was pleased with what she saw: the brown jacket fit her perfectly and the matching pencil skirt was even more comfortable than she thought it would be.

Knuckles nodded hastily. He knew that if he said yes, she would make her decision all the more quickly. And he wanted out of here; the saleswoman was driving him mad. He had been left alone with her for _far _too long.

The saleslady clapped her hands together and smiled happily, "It looks wonderful, and I'm so glad you like it!"

"Thanks! I've got to hand it to you: you really know your clothes," Leaf nodded to her appreciatively, "If it weren't for you, I'd still be hunting around in the wrong place!"

"No problem!" she smiled brightly again, "Now, do you have some shoes to go with this outfit?"

"Oh! Uh, no, actually…" Leaf answered sheepishly, glancing down at her tennis shoes. She would certainly look a bit odd if she forgot to change that…

"Well, over here is our shoe department! Follow me! I've already got some ideas about which ones will go _perfectly _with that outfit!"

After a few short minutes, Leaf was led away to that very location and was bombarded with multiple choices provided by her friendly salesclerk.

"Uh…" Leaf hesitated. All of these shoes had high heels, and she wasn't confident that she could make a quick getaway (if she had to) in any of these kinds of shoes… In fact, she'd feel lucky if she could even walk in them, "Do you have any flats? You know… something without heels?"

"Oooh… are you sure about that?" the saleswoman looked concerned, "I really think it'd complete your look if you wore something like these…"

"Sorry, but I really need to wear flats…" Leaf glanced around, "Ah! Hey! These'll do perfectly!" she seized the nearest (and only) pair of ballet flats in her size, "Yep, they're formal; yet still casual enough to run in, and that'll work perfect for me!"

"Oh, just in case you're a little late and need to run to your meeting, right?"

"Uh, yeah! Exactly! I guess…"

oOoOoOo

"Hey Riley!" Leaf beamed as she walked up to him, "I just bought my business gear and after a quick hairstyle change, I think I'll be all ready to go! What do you think?"

"Wow, nice job!" Riley nodded in appreciation, "You look great!"

"Really? Even though I'm not wearing heels?"

"Of course…" Riley looked down at her feet in confusion, "What's wrong with those? I think you look amazing..."

"Thanks," Leaf giggled embarrassedly for a moment, but then paused to look at his attire, "So… when are you going to pick out your clothes?"

"… I'm already wearing them."

"What?" Leaf stared at him in disbelief. He certainly didn't _look_ all that different!

"See? My hat, it doesn't have any jagged ridges… this brim is smooth… and you see, this undershirt here is a collared shirt as opposed to my typical turtleneck… Also, my jacket, it's _navy_ blue as opposed to—"

"Riley!" Leaf broke in, "If you have to _explain_ the differences to me, then I don't think it's going to cut it! You have to look _radically _different for this to work! I mean, don't get me wrong, you look adorable really, but I'm sure they'll totally recognize you in this getup!"

"But this- this is _nothing _like my typical-"

"It's _way _too similar! We'll need to find something else! Now, c'mon Riley!" Leaf interrupted, seizing his sleeve and leading him away, "Sorry, but we're definitely going to have to get you something in a different color, at the very least…! But don't worry about it! It'll be easy! It shouldn't take long either, I'm sure!" But then, she paused, stopping short abruptly, "Wait a second! Where's Toby?"

"He got a little distracted…"

"By what?"

"Apparently, there's an arcade right outside the store…"

"Oh. Well, then, I can't blame him for that, really!"

oOoOoOo

"So… does this look 'radically different'?" Riley wondered as he walked out of the dressing room and regarded his reflection in the mirror.

"Wow! You look hot!" Leaf blurted out without thinking.

Riley turned away from the mirror and stared at her with the most perplexed expression on his face. Knuckles just rolled his eyes.

"Er- I meant that in the most platonic way possible…" Leaf recovered lamely, utterly embarrassed by her tendency to think out loud.

The salesman that had picked out the outfit laughed, "Well, it looks like you've got the approval of the ladies! What more could you need?"

"Not much else, I suppose…" Riley said thoughtfully, pretending to draw his focus back to the mirror once more, "Oh, on second thought, I should probably look for a hat to match this…"

"A hat?" the salesman looked confused, "Hats aren't usually worn at professional meetings, are they?"

"Nope, they aren't," Leaf agreed as she recalled the businessmen she'd seen before at Silph Company back in Saffron City.

"But my hair… My hat is… the only way I can keep it… under control…" Riley protested quietly as if he were almost too embarrassed to admit it.

"Don't worry, Riley! I'll help you tame that unruly head of hair you've got there!" Leaf offered brightly, completely ignoring the odd looks from the salesman, "Besides, I bet all you _really_ have to do is just comb it thoroughly! I think _that _will take care of everything!"

"Somehow… I'm not so sure it's going to be that easy…" Riley sighed.

oOoOoOo

After securing every last stray strand of hair into the bun on the back of her head, Leaf turned away from the mirror and headed down the hall to the boys' dorms. Once there, she tentatively knocked on the bathroom door, "Hey Riley? How's it going?"

Riley opened the door with a grim look on his face, "I've tried everything, Leaf…"

"Really? Well, let me take a look! Here, sit on the bed… 'cause I really can't reach your hair unless you sit down somewhere…"

Riley reluctantly obeyed, his hair an absolute mess. It seemed the more he attempted to fix it, the more unruly and wild his hair became.

Leaf climbed up onto the bed behind him and carefully felt his hair to gain a sense of how thick it was, "Dude, this is like the thickest hair I've ever seen! No wonder it's all over the place!"

Now even Knuckles was curious and he reached over to touch it as well. He nodded in agreement. Riley was definitely in need of some hair treatment! He was just like the man he saw on TV back at the Battle Hall!

"But don't worry, Riley!" Leaf announced, "My hair is pretty thick too, and I know exactly how to handle it!"

At that, she brandished her weapon of choice. The hairbrush.

"Hold still!" Leaf ordered, "Stop moving around! For crying out loud; I'm only _brushing _your hair! Don't be such a—baby!"

"Augh!" Riley grit his teeth; Leaf certainly wasn't holding back.

Leaf paused and frowned at her work, "It's not working! You hair just _refuses _to be brushed down! I've finally got the knots out, but I can't style it at all!"

"So… now what…?" Riley asked as he rubbed his aching scalp, almost fearful for the answer to his question.

Knuckles gestured frantically as he revealed his idea to Leaf. He had seen a man on TV with the exact same problem! All he had to do was buy Hatchet brand hair gel! It fixed everything!

"Hair gel?" Leaf repeated thoughtfully, "Well, why not? That sounds like a great idea, Knuckles!"

"And painless too…" Riley said gratefully.

After a brief visit to the convenience store, Leaf was ready to tame that unruly head of hair. She poured a generous amount straight onto Riley's head and prepared to set it straight once and for all.

"Are you certain this will work?" Riley asked as he read over the label of the hair gel canister for the thousandth time.

"Of course it will!" Leaf answered, "Like the slogan says: 'you'll be as sexy as a Sandile in no time!' Whatever the heck that means…"

"How is it?" Riley asked, "Is it working?"

"Sort of…" Leaf was currently trying to flatten his hair, but length was a bit too long yet still too short to look quite… natural. Not to mention, the product was making Riley's hair look quite greasy.

"Sort of?" Riley look alarmed, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Here," Leaf quickly handed him her little makeup mirror.

Riley looked repulsed, "I look like a creepy wizard of some sort…"

"Don't worry; it hasn't set yet, so I can still change it," Leaf assured him, "But what kind of look are you going for? I was just trying to flatten it, but how do you think I should style it?"

"I have no idea," Riley sighed, "I've never styled my hair in my entire life…"

"Hmm…" Leaf looked thoughtful, "Hey! Maybe we should try to make you look like Cyrus! He's a businessman!"

Riley very nearly shuddered at the thought, but then he remembered that the style didn't necessarily have to suit him. He just needed to look businesslike and professional, "Well… alright then… if you think you can do it…"


	71. Chapter 71: Riley the Star!

Well, I'm going to start with quick responses to unsigned reviewers again… Everyone else can skip ahead to the oOo's.

AltariaLover: Thanks for the review! And you're right about that mistake. I must have completely forgotten about that somehow! That's another thing I need to go back and fix… I'll do that sometime soon before I forget. Oh, and as for your question about Swablu… She will evolve sometime in the future. I'm waiting for the perfect moment.

SolarEspeon: Thanks again for your review! I have to admit, I was thinking about a time where one of the characters would celebrate their birthday… but I am a bit unsure. All of the scenarios I've thought through seem a bit too cheesy. Though, after all this conflict with Azelf is resolved, there will be a lot of 'free time' when Leaf gets the last of her badges. If anything, it'll happen around that time. ^^

jj: Haha, thanks! A certain, chatty, insane Pokémon on Leaf's team… Yes… he will prove quite useful soon enough… *hint, hint*

Now! On with it!

oOoOoOo

"Are you finished?" Riley asked tentatively.

Leaf had to take a moment to stifle her giggles before answering, "…You look… exactly like…"

Riley seized the mirror and quickly examined himself, "This… Well…"

All of his hair was standing on end, exactly like Cyrus'. The only real difference was that his hair was quite a bit longer than Cyrus' was, but altogether, it didn't actually look _as_ bad as he had thought. Well, aside from the fact that he looked like he had a black-colored fireball atop his head…

"You look exactly like Vegeta!" Leaf fell back onto the bed in a fit of laughter.

"Vegeta?" Riley turned around and peered at her in confusion. How could she think he looked like a Blastoise?

Upon hearing Leaf's laughter, Knuckles looked up from his seat on the floor and glanced at Riley's new hairstyle. His eyes widened as he gawked at the horrifying sight. He was mortified! Leaf had _ruined _it!

"So… would this work in a business meeting?" Riley asked the still-laughing Leaf.

Knuckles leapt to his feet and promptly shook his head. This style was absolutely awful! He was going to have to start over from scratch and re-do the whole thing!

"Uh…" Riley stared at Knuckles in confusion, "…What did he say?"

"Hey!" Leaf sat up, indignant, "I styled it just like Cyrus'! Cyrus _has_ crazy hair! It doesn't look all that great, but Cyrus' looks even worse, ya know! I did the best I could!"

Knuckles shook his head. He was certain he could style it much better.

"Oh yeah?" Leaf challenged, "Then go ahead and do it then! Just try and out-do me!"

Knuckles shot her a smug look. Of course he could do better!

And at that, he proceeded to style the hair with those awesome styling skills of his. Since, obviously, being a Pokémon with no hair of his own, he was a true 'expert' on such matters. In fact, that was Knuckles' humble opinion on the matter, and it was final.

Riley, in the meantime, winced slightly. Knuckles was far less gentle with his hair; he would even tug on it if Riley moved too much or didn't follow his directions. Obviously, since Knuckles was growling in Pokéspeak instead of talking, Riley had no idea what the Lucario's directions even were, let alone did he possess the ability to actually follow them.

Once the blue Pokémon finally finished, he proudly leaned back to admire his work. Before Riley could even get his hands on the little mirror, Leaf spoke up, "_Whaaat_? That's all _wrong_! You totally ruined it, Knuckles! I had it just perfect, and you ruined it! This is _nothing_ like Cyrus'!"

Knuckles snarled at her. Riley was ten times better-looking than Cyrus was now!

"Of course he is! That's because Riley is actually _handsome_, and Cyrus isn't! Duh! And! Just because you made him look better than before, that doesn't mean he actually looks like a businessman! That's the look we're going for here! I mean, geez, Knuckles! Now I have to do it all over again!"

Leaf immediately began to remedy the style, but Knuckles wasn't going to have any of that. As soon as she changed a strand of hair, he changed it back as he saw fit. Soon enough, the two of them were arguing like crazy and fighting over Riley's hair. In the process, Riley's hair was becoming more and more messed-up by the two conflicting styles, and it was only a matter of time before the hair-gel would start to dry up completely. Riley was running out of time, and his hair was looking worse than ever now!

"ENOUGH!" Riley finally snapped and jumped away from the two of them, his hair a complete wreck now.

At the sudden outburst (and loss of Riley's hair), Leaf and Knuckles abruptly halted and stared at Riley. The result of their unproductive arguing was rather obvious now, and the two began to look rather sheepish.

"I'm going with Plan B," Riley said finally, "I'm washing this gel out, and I'm going to wear a hat. All of this hair styling business obviously isn't working, and it's starting to become a big waste of time anyway. I think it's for the best if we just call it quits."

"I'm sorry, Riley…" Leaf frowned. She prodded Knuckles until he muttered an apology as well.

"It's no problem," Riley sighed, "Tensions are high, and I suppose it's bound to come out in some form… Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll take a quick shower, and then we'll set this plan of yours into motion."

"Sure thing," Leaf agreed.

Knuckles sighed. He had been certain that the hair gel would work…

oOoOoOo

"I suppose this will do," Riley picked up a brown hat off the rack, one that matched quite perfectly with his jacket.

Leaf peered at the other options thoughtfully. Suddenly, a crazy idea struck her, "Hey, Riley! How about this one here?"

"A… cowboy hat?" Riley looked at it with disbelief, "I'm pretty sure that's not… normally worn…"

"Well, no," Leaf smiled, "But haven't you ever seen that one show on TV? You know, the Celebrity Noob?"

"The Celebrity Noob?" Riley repeated, "Oh, you mean that one show where celebrities enter a random business setting and make total fools of themselves? Yeah, I've seen it… But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, some of the celebrities on that show are country music stars…" Leaf smiled wider.

"I don't think I'm going to like where this is going…"

"Of course you will! Now listen! You could pose as a country music star from the Celebrity Noob! I could pretend to be your manager, or something!"

"But…" Riley looked quite uncomfortable, "No one would believe that I'm a celebrity. No one has any idea who I am… All of the celebrities out there are immediately recognizable…"

"Oh, I don't even know half of the country music stars on that show!" Leaf waved it off as unimportant, "I bet almost everyone doesn't! Besides, we only need to fool Team Galactic! Not the whole world! I doubt any of those freaky Galactic grunts keep up with country music anyway! I bet they're more into techno or something…"

"Do you really think this will work…?"

"Of course!" Leaf beamed at him, "You're _way _more handsome than any of those country music stars out there! And looks seem to be all that anyone really cares about these days anyway! And since that's the case, you've _nothing_ to worry about, I'm sure of it!"

"Well, if you say so…" Riley's face flushed red, and he suddenly wished he had his regular hat with him.

Leaf plopped the cowboy hat onto his head with a smile, "C'mon then; let's pay for this hat here, and then find Toby and tell him we're off to save Azelf!"

"Right… let's do it," Riley mumbled.

oOoOoOo

"There you are!" Leaf exclaimed, "You're still playing arcade games, huh?"

"Yes!" Toby cried, "Toby win many times! Very good with games!"

At the moment, Toby was trying out the dance machine. He was missing pretty much every single step, but he still had a huge grin on his face. The game announcer kept screaming at him to "Hurry up!" and the electronic 'audience' was constantly booing him rather loudly.

"Boo!" Toby repeated with a laugh; he truly believed they were praising him. He was dancing rather wildly, and Leaf was beginning to wonder if he even realized how the game was supposed to be played…

Soon enough, the final note was played, and Toby grinned and held up his arms in triumph, "Toby is _great _dancer! _Yes_! Oh! Now score time! What is score?" he waited anxiously for his results to show up, and…

"**E**! Aw, c'mon dawg! Try it again later!" the announcer cried.

"E?" Toby stared at the screen, "E is good!" he decided and laughed happily.

"Yeah… E's a great score…" Leaf agreed, halfheartedly. She didn't really have the heart to tell him otherwise.

"Well! Toby not want to try again… Too tired. Leaf play now? Riley too?"

"No, actually, we came to tell you that we're finally ready to…" Leaf looked around anxiously, even though the arcade was pretty much empty, "carry out my plan…"

"Oh…" Toby nodded in understanding, "Toby must stay… Toby still remember! But Knuckles go with Leaf and Riley?" he wondered.

"Actually," Leaf turned to her Lucario, "I was going to keep him in his Pokéball… considering that most businessmen don't exactly bring Pokémon to their meetings… But… why don't you stay with Toby, Knuckles? I bet you'd have a better time hanging out with him."

"Wait a moment," Riley spoke up, "That would leave you with only four Pokémon. If it turns out we do get into a few battles… you'd need all the help you can get!"

"Leaf can take Toby Pokémon!" Toby suggested.

"Really?" Leaf turned back to him, "That would be pretty great, actually… Ever since Azelf was taken, I've kinda been lacking a sixth Pokémon as it is…"

"Yeah…" Toby reached into his bag, "Leaf take… Ki… and… Grovyle? That is good?"

"Sounds fine to me!"

"Okay!" Toby released said Pokémon, "Now! Listen to Leaf! Leaf is… in charge! Yeah!"

Ki nodded and smiled kindly at Leaf, while Grovyle looked around wildly at all of the crazy arcade lighting.

"_Grovyle_!" Toby yelled to gain his attention. The grass type quickly straightened his posture and saluted no one in particular.

"Cool," Leaf giggled, "I'd love to work with them for a while!"

Toby quickly recalled his Pokémon and handed their Pokéballs over to her, "Now Knuckles and Toby _battle_!"

"You don't mind staying behind with Toby, right Knux?"

Knuckles glanced at the battling game Toby had just indicated and smirked. He certainly didn't mind. He figured it wouldn't be that hard to babysit Toby. And totally pwn him while he was at it.

Toby looked at Knuckles blankly, "Baby…sit?" he repeated slowly, "And… p…own… That mean what…?"

"Have fun, you two!" Leaf waved, apparently not keen on delivering a lengthy explanation, "Hopefully, we'll be back sooner rather than later and we'll have Azelf back too!"

"Bye! Good chances!" Toby grinned before rushing over to the battle game, "Come now, Knuckles!"

Knuckles nodded to Leaf and Riley before heading over to thrash Toby at video games. He didn't really know how to play any of these games yet, but judging by that terrible dancing performance, he had a feeling Toby was a total pushover…

oOoOoOo

Riley nervously fingered his hat as the two 'businessmen' walked towards the Galactic building. He certainly wasn't feeling confident in Leaf's plan. However, he couldn't really think of a better one at the moment, so it was really all they could do at this point… He could only hope that the security around here was either lacking or incredibly stupid…

"Hurry up and put that hat on," Leaf said quickly, "Their security cameras can probably see this far! So hurry!"

"Right…" Riley swallowed nervously as he set the ridiculous hat upon his head.

Leaf glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so nervous? You don't have to worry about anything, you know! I can do _all _of the talking, so you don't have to say much of anything if you don't want to."

Riley swallowed again. Maybe it was precisely that that made him so nervous…

"How do you know that I'm feeling a bit nervous?" he asked instead, "You feel my Aura?"

"I don't have to," Leaf smiled at him with a teasing look in her eye, "It's written all over your face! But hey… just relax and play it cool like the amazing 'celebrity' that you are! Like I said earlier, I'll handle most of the talking."

The two fell silent as they approached the automatic doors. Leaf took a deep breath before stepping inside, and Riley followed right on her heels.

"Welcome to Galactic Headqu- I mean, Galactic Veilstone Building! How can I assist you?" the grunt behind the counter asked.

"Yes!" Leaf set her hand onto the table definitively, "Take me to your leader!"

Riley smacked his hand to his forehead. They were doomed…

"…And why should I do that…?" the woman looked suspicious.

"Because I have a terrific deal for him! Or her…!" Leaf added quickly, "But anyway! I'm here with Celebrity Noob, so you _know_ I'm legit!"

The woman turned to her computer, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh…" Leaf faltered for a moment, "No… But hey, I'm here with the new rising country music star! **Vaughn** himself! Yeah! Isn't he so wonderful and completely awesome? His voice is _absolutely _amazing! And just _look_ at him! You know what they say, 'Sexy as a Sandile!' am I right?"

The receptionist blinked and stared blankly at Riley.

"Howdy," Riley said gruffly and tipped his hat, just like a real cowboy would.

"You see? Very amazing, he is! Now you just _can't _refuse!" Leaf grinned.

Now that receptionist was a bit taken in by Riley's gorgeousness, but when it came right down to it: rules were rules. These people didn't have an appointment, so they definitely weren't allowed inside the establishment. She wasn't going to lose her job just because a hot celebrity had stepped into the building, "I'm sorry, but if you don't have an appointment, you aren't allowed access to anywhere beyond the lobby. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"If it's that important, I'll just make an appointment right now," Leaf shrugged, "When's the quickest time I can come in with Vaughn here to see your leader?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't handle appointments…"

"Then what _do _you do!" Leaf raged.

"I don't like your attitude…" the woman glared at her.

"S-sorry," Leaf managed to swallow her rage, "but I _really need _an appointment… _Where _can I get one?"

"Second floor," the receptionist responded curtly, her gaze returning to her computer.

"The second…?" Leaf sputtered, her rage quickly rising up again, "_How in the h- _I mean… How am I supposed to _get _an appointment if you _just told me_ that I can't go past the lobby here?"

"Not my problem…" the woman replied, not even bothering to look up from her computer screen.

"Not your- What do you mean it's not your problem!" Leaf raged, "Get me the appointment person _now_!"

"Ma'am!" the grunt glared at her again, "Do I need to call security down here? Control your emotions! If you fail to even do this, I'll quite certain our boss **won't** want to see you."

"Maybe I _wouldn't_ be getting emotional here, if you actually _knew _how to run this place correctly!"

"Are you really so ignorant of Team Galactic's ambitions? Emotions are a waste! And yet, you are clearly controlled by them…! Cyrus would _never _want to see such a person!"

"What the heck are you going on about?" Leaf was about to rage more, but she faltered once the name of their boss registered in her brain, "Wait a second… did you just say Cyrus? _Cyrus _is your leader?"

The woman frowned, "You claim to have business with Master Cyrus, and yet you don't even know his name? I find this… to be very suspicious…"

'And everything else we've said and done so far wasn't suspicious in the slightest?' Riley mentally asked her, but didn't dare say it aloud. They were in deep enough trouble as it was.

"Oh…" Leaf laughed weakly, "I'm _totally_ not suspicious… I'm mean, I'm from Celebrity Noob! My crazy emotions are the result of… working with celebrities all day! Ha! Ha! Yeah! It's quite stressful, you know! They're always asking for this, that, and the other thing! That's probably why I was so demanding myself just a minute ago…! Ha… Ha… Ha…? …Right?"

The woman just glared at her again, "I'm calling security."

"No!" Leaf exclaimed, "Don't do that! I was just joking around! You know, I have a crazy Chatot, and I bet it's all of his craziness that's starting to rub off onto me! You can't blame me for it! Try living with him for a day, and you'll see what I mean!"

Leaf's desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, "Security," the stoic receptionist droned as she clicked a button on her desk.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me! This gig I had planned was worth millions!" Leaf yelled, drawing stares from all the other random grunts ambling around the place, "Are you _proud _of yourself now? You lost your company _millions_!"

"Leaf…" Riley mumbled (just loud enough for only her to hear), catching her elbow in his hand, "I think you might be taking this a little too far… Maybe we-"

"Shut up, Vaughn!" Leaf abruptly pulled away from his hold and immediately rounded on the woman once again, "This isn't over! You hear me, you useless receptionist?"

"I'll ask you one more time: please leave at once, or I'll have security throw you out! … Ah, and here they come now…"

"What's the problem, Julie?" a gruff voice asked as a team of Machoke arrived on the scene.

Leaf froze. Machoke… They belonged to the security team of the Valley Windworks! They were stolen Pokémon!

Moments later, the grunt leader stood before team of stolen Machoke, ready to give out orders, "These two freaks causin' you trouble, Julie?"

"Yes," the receptionist answered coolly, "I was just asking them to leave. I wonder… will they leave now that they've seen our security force?"

"Leaf…" Riley nudged her by the elbow once again, muttering in a soft voice, "We shouldn't engage them in a battle… I doubt we'd make it very far…"

Leaf gazed around at all of the other grunts standing around; they were gripping the Pokéballs on their belts and glaring menacingly. She was certain she and Riley could take out these Machoke, but with all these other combatants here… She wasn't quite sure how easy it would be to defeat all of them. And if they caused a commotion now, more grunts would arrive to take their places, to be certain.

"Fine!" Leaf exclaimed in defeat, "Just remember that you lost this company _millions_ of dollars!"

"Believe me; money isn't going to be an issue in the future… Things will be _much _different soon enough!" the security leader scoffed.

Leaf raised an eyebrow. Just what the heck was _that _supposed to mean?

"Let's get out of here…" Riley led the way out.

Before walking out the door, Leaf took one last glance over her shoulder. Every grunt in the room hadn't moved a muscle, their faces stony and devoid of emotion. They were pretty creepy, to be sure…

Once the building was out of sight, Leaf grabbed at her hair in utter frustration, "Agh! _Drapion_! What a total failure that was!"

"We did what we could…" Riley shrugged, "But our chances of getting inside that place were pretty slim. We made the right decision by backing down for now. We'll re-group and come up with another plan. I'm sure we'll find a way in soon."

"I hope so…" Leaf sighed, "But man, those guys were pretty creepy, huh? Was that lady giving me some kinda lecture on emotions? What the heck was with that?"

"No idea…" Riley shrugged.

"And Cyrus… Apparently, he's their leader…"

"Somehow, I'm not too surprised…" Riley shook his head. He could clearly remember that day Cyrus went off on a near-crazed tirade.

"And did you see those poor Machoke? I'm certain that they were the ones that were stolen from the Valley Windworks!"

"Really?" Riley looked surprised, "Are you sure?"

"Of course! It's Team Galactic we're talking about here!" Leaf shook her head in disgust, "Those stupid jerks! I'd love to put them in their place! Thinking they're all high and mighty with their stolen Pokémon team! Just a bunch of freaks in costumes, they are!"

"Costumes…!" Riley stopped short.

"Uh, yeah? What?" Leaf halted as well, staring at him, "What's up?"

"Well, come to think of it, the disguises we picked out today worked perfectly, did they not?"

"Yeah…" Leaf shrugged, "They didn't really know who we were, but that's about the only achievement we made today…"

"Well," Riley smiled at her, "Perhaps we chose the wrong disguises. Perhaps we should instead chose to blend in completely…I'm thinking we should dress up exactly like Team Galactic grunts!"

Leaf's face fell, and she was momentarily speechless, "…You're joking, right? There's _no way_ I'm cutting my hair and dying it to look like some kind of freak!"

"You don't have to do any of that," Riley waved it off with his hand, "That's what wigs are for. I know it may not be the most pleasant choice, but I'm thinking it's the only way to make it inside that building!"

"Agh, man…! You've _gotta _be kidding me…!" Leaf groaned, "Now I'm _really _wishing my business plan idea had worked…!"

oOoOoOo

Notes: So I decided to make a new poll just for this chapter: who will pwn who at arcade games? Knuckles or Toby? Vote soon to voice your opinion! And please stay tuned to find out the answer! XD

Oh, and I'm thinking I need to explain where I came up with the name "Metal Cheese". It's a kind of an obscure reference to the Sonic games, so I'm not too sure if everyone out there was be able to catch it. You see, I was trying to think of the least intimidating and most ridiculous character I could think of for Blathers to emulate. What came to mind was that orange bunny rabbit character, Cream. She has a little Chao friend named Cheese. And a "metal" version of that would be Metal Cheese.

Though technically, there already is a character like that: Omachao. A bunch of Metal Cheese's lines are pretty much exactly what Omachao would say if he gets picked up…

Hmm, even with the explanation, I bet a lot of you out there don't even know of any of these characters, so it may not help at all…

Ah well. I tried.

Thanks for reading and please vote sometime soon!


	72. Chapter 72: Pwnage

"So," Riley began as he gazed at the Veilstone City Mall's giant map, "where do you suppose we could find some authentic-looking Galactic uniforms?"

"Halloween shop," Leaf said stiffly and set her index finger onto the box labeled, 'Halloween Town.'

Riley laughed, "Yeah, I suppose they do look a lot like Halloween costumes!"

Leaf made a face, "Yeah… and that's exactly why I don't want to dress like them…" But her grimace quickly dissolved when a new idea shoved its way into her mind. Within seconds after the idea took root, a determined look and posture took over her features, "But I'll do _anything_ to save Azelf! Even if it means I have to dress up like a total freak!"

Riley chuckled, "That's the spirit!"

oOoOoOo

"Well, here're the wigs," Leaf shrugged, picking up the nearest blue bowl-cut styled wig and examining it with slight disgust, "Looks like one size fits all, so I'll just grab two of 'em, I guess…"

"Well, there's one thing we can check off the list," Riley observed.

"It'll be fun trying to stuff all my hair into this puny-"

"That's what this is for…" Riley seized a nearby package and held it out for her to see.

Leaf stared. It looked like a nylon sock… for the head, "Are you _kidding _me right now?"

"What?" Riley shrugged, "It's just to keep your hair out of the way."

"Whatever," Leaf shrugged it off, completely annoyed with it all, "Let's just go and get those stupid costumes already!"

But after a long stretch of searching to no avail, Leaf was beginning to give up hope. It wasn't until a random salesman happened along before they finally felt as if a light existed at the end of this dark and dreary tunnel.

"Oh? Customers? Already?" the salesman looked vaguely surprised, "Ah, well-Welcome! You need any help finding something today?"

"Yeah…" Leaf racked her brain for an acceptable explanation. It wasn't really the season for Halloween shopping, but there were always those random people who shopped early, right? Well… extra, extra early…

"We're looking for something to wear for a party… a Halloween party," she began, "And yeah… we figured we'd buy something for it now, rather than wait… You know, before all those giant crowds of Halloween shoppers decide to show up…?"

"Well, I'd say you succeeded…" the shopkeeper replied, his eyebrow slightly raised, "The place's pretty empty round this time of year… But, anyway, what kind of costume you two lookin' for? I'd be happy to lend a hand in finding something for ya."

"Uh… We're looking for… Team Galactic uniforms…"

"Team Galactic?" the man laughed, "Wow, now _that_ is a pretty creative idea for a Halloween costume! … But I don't think we… No, we don't really sell anything like that."

"Really?" Leaf was crestfallen, "But do you know where we could find anything like it?"

"Hmm…" the shopkeeper looked thoughtful, "Nah, I don't think so. I've got the feeling Galactic enterprises hands 'em out to employees only. I think you might be out of luck. Sorry."

"Aw, man…" Leaf groaned.

"You looking for something else, though? I'm sure we could figure out something for you guys to dress up as for your party…"

"No thank you," Riley declined, "But we'll let you know if we ever do think of something."

Leaf looked up from the floor and directed her gaze towards the exit. But before she could focus on that, she happened to notice a particularly awesome costume hanging on the wall behind Riley's head, "…Hey! Hang on a second here…!" a devious smirk played across her lips, "I've got another idea!"

"Huh?" Riley blinked in confusion and followed her gaze, "Oh no… You can't be serious…"

"Of _course_ I am, Riley!" Leaf smiled, her eyes bright, "Just trust me on this one!"

oOoOoOo

"And it'll all work out perfectly, I'm sure of it!" Leaf finished with a smile.

"I certainly hope so…" Riley hefted their shopping bags higher onto his shoulder, "If anything goes wrong, I'm sure we'll be in some serious trouble…"

"Nothing will go wrong; Blathers'll stay with Toby, remember? If anybody knows how to channel Blathers' energy, it's Toby! And not only that, Blathers' ridiculousness will actually have a purpose this time!"

"Your Chatot's antics aren't what I'm concerned about..."

"Oh, speaking of Toby," Leaf looked around, "We need to find him and let him know about the plan… You think he's still at the arcade?"

"Probably…"

oOoOoOo

"Ooh! They're playing that fighting game!" Leaf exclaimed and immediately ran over to watch.

Riley sighed. These arcade games certainly were distracting… But he knew they needed to wait until dark before they could try out their next plan anyway… As it was, there wasn't much point in trying to drive them away from the games now. And he had a feeling that even his best efforts would turn out useless in this situation…

"Block, Knuckles! Block!" Leaf urged, "Block it! You're gonna lose! Aw…!"

Knuckles slumped to the ground and howled. This was… his _sixth _time losing to Toby!

"Yeah, Toby win… again!" Toby grinned, "Toby is _so_ good at arcade!"

Leaf watched Knuckles as he began to twitch angrily and grab at his head with his paws, "Geez, Knuckles… Chill out, will ya? It's only a game…"

"Yes, Knuckles always act crazy when lose…" Toby nodded sagely, "Many time, game man come to yell at Knuckles! So now Knuckles just cry and twitch…"

"Hmm," Leaf looked thoughtful for exactly two seconds, "Well, the only cure for that is… to _play_ _again_! C'mon Knuckles! Play _me_ now! I've always wanted to play against one of my Pokémon! C'mon! _Please_?"

Knuckles leapt up and seized the controls with a determined and downright scary look on his face. Apparently, all he needed was another challenge in order to get his head right back into the game.

"Alright… let's see… Haven't played this in a long time, but… I think… I'll choose… the ninja!" Leaf declared as she directed her cursor over said character.

"A yellow ninja?" Riley raised an eyebrow as he watched from over her shoulder, "Doesn't the color yellow sort of defeat the purpose of being a ninja? Yellow doesn't really blend into much of anything…"

"That's why this is just a game…!" Leaf answered with annoyance, "But yeah… _that_'s why _we'll_ be going with a different color… for _our_ mission," she gave him a quick wink.

Knuckles, for his part, immediately chose the largest and beefiest warrior wielding the giant ax, the exact same character he had chosen for his last match with Toby. After making the selection, the Lucario tapped his foot impatiently while Leaf was busy being cryptic. After about five seconds of waiting, he began to press buttons loudly and frantically in order to regain her attention.

"Yeah, okay!" Leaf quickly made her choices and the game commenced to the loading screen…

_Round One! Fight!_

Leaf kept her distance from the wild and savage axe murderer. Quite literally, Knuckles was totally murdering the controls; he was a relentless button-masher, through and through. However, he was also the type of player who never remembered to block. Using the smaller and lithe ninja, Leaf was content to block his aggressive attacks and wait for the openings she needed to destroy that sizable health bar of his. Knuckles, in turn, still managed to hit her quite a few times, and since his character was so powerful, he managed to knock down her health bar a good deal as well. Leaf was feeling a bit frustrated, given that so few of his hits amounted to nearly as much health taken away as the many and complicated maneuvers she had had to deploy in order to lower his gauge.

But in the end… it was the gaudy, yellow ninja who came out on top.

Knuckles howled again and slumped down to the floor.

"Aw, c'mon, Knuckles! Quit acting like that!" Leaf shook her head at him, "You can't tell me that wasn't any fun!"

Toby scratched his head in confusion, "But Toby think Knuckles win! How Knuckles lose? Leaf just puny yellow-black man! Axe man is most good!"

"Oh no," Leaf shook her head like a wise old master, "Size doesn't matter. Because when it comes right down to it, the ninja _always _wins!"

"Now that everyone's finished being distracted by mindless games!" Riley interrupted Toby's retort, "We really need to discuss our next plan…"

"Oh…!" Toby perked up in understanding, "Leaf and Riley save Azelf?"

"Actually… no," Leaf scratched her head in embarrassment, "We totally failed on that… But we've already thought of a new plan, and we're going to need your help for it to work!"

"Oh, yes! Toby always help!" Toby grinned, his posture proud and confident.

From his position on the ground, Knuckles became aware of the fact that the dance machine was now available! Those annoying little kids had left! So he sprang up and ran over to his favorite machine, gesturing and growling at it frantically so that Toby would wake up and give him the coins he needed to play it.

"Oh, looks like Knuckles is freaking out," Leaf noticed, "Hey, wait? He wants to play the dance machine? Really?"

"Oh yes," Toby chuckled, shaking his head sympathetically, "Knuckles is bad at dance game, but Knuckles like to play anyway…"

"Oh? He's bad at it, huh?" Leaf commented as the two of them started to head over to the machine, "So why does he like to play it then? Given his sorry attitude with the other game, I find it a little hard to believe…"

"Yeah," Toby pulled out his coins, "Knuckles is weird. Last time, Knuckles dance so bad that Knuckles must write name into screen."

"Huh?" Leaf blinked at him, "What are you saying?"

Toby shrugged, "Watch. Game show name soon. Leaf read name then."

Leaf watched the screen in confusion, wondering what the heck Toby was even talking about here. Knuckles, meanwhile, hopped around on the balls of his feet, impatiently awaiting the moment when he could finally play the blasted game.

After a while, the screen indicating all of the high scores flashed.

KNCKLES

MCDAWGY

PWNMSTR

DBZDUDE

KIRBEH

VLKNR

JTDAHAK

BIKACHU

HI^-^HI

S~KILLZ

Leaf could hardly believe her eyes, "_Knuckles _has the high score?"

"High score?" Toby looked confused, "That mean bad score?"

"No! Knuckles has the _best _score!"

"Oh… So… A is more good than E?"

"Well… yes!"

Meanwhile, Riley, who was still standing beside the fighting game, stared at them in disbelief. Was he the only one here who actually cared about Azelf? Or were arcade games really that distracting?

"_Tiens_!"

Riley jumped, whirling around to face whomever had addressed him, "Um, yes?"

"_Bonjour _Trainer !" the voice apparently belonged to an average looking guy wearing a stereotypical beret, "_Aimez-vous les Pokémons _?"

"Uh…?" Riley looked confused, "Excuse me?"

"_Hein ? C'est quoi, votre réponse ? Oui ou non _?"

"Uh…? Sorry, but… I should be going now…" Riley slowly backed away, hoping that this stranger would stop talking to him in a language he did not understand.

Over on the other side of the arcade, Leaf and Toby were still discussing the surprising fact that Knuckles now owned the scoreboard.

"But wait a minute…" Leaf looked confused, "How could Knuckles have learned how to spell his name correctly…? You can't really spell either, Toby, so… who entered in his name?"

"Video man help Knuckles type!" Toby nodded with a grin.

"Video man?" Leaf repeated, "Who is that, anyway?"

"Over there!" Toby pointed at the guy behind the prize counter (who was currently standing around looking extremely bored), "That man! Video man yell at Knuckles too! But video man is nice! He never 'throw Knuckles out'! Even though Knuckles try to destroy fight game machine before!"

Knuckles now started to tap his paw repeatedly (and loudly) on the dance machine's coin slot, signaling that he was very eager to play and that he was tired of all this stalling.

"Well, let's see for ourselves… just how good Knuckles really is!" Leaf reached out for a few of Toby's coins and placed them into the slot, "Now… Which song are you gonna choose?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Knuckles chose the screaming death metal song.

"… How am I not surprised?" Riley commented, finally re-joining them.

"Hey! Knuckles likes to rock, so what?" Leaf frowned at him.

"Don't mind me…" Riley lowered his… Wait! His hat was missing! He couldn't hide his face since his hat was still back at the Pokémon Center! Oh no!

At this abrupt realization, Riley quickly dropped his hand back down to his side and flushed red. Maybe he shouldn't have dropped that cowboy hat into the nearest lost-and-found bin. It was stupid-looking, to be certain, but it was better than nothing!

However, Leaf quickly lost attention in Riley's dilemma once Knuckles started dancing. The little guy had expert control of his feet, and he moved quickly yet gracefully. Leaf was stunned; not only did Knuckles have great control of his body, but he also had a natural sense of rhythm. He was easily better than any human player, to say the very least.

"You need to enter him into Contests," Riley nodded.

"…Yeah… Maybe… I should…" Leaf watched in amazement.

_Aw, yeah! Now that's the stuff! Play it again, dawg! _The game announcer cried above the screaming electronic crowd of fans.

_HIGH SCORE! _

Leaf stared as the high score list flashed onscreen, with the prompt to enter in the player's name. She had honestly never seen or known of _anyone_ who was anygood at this game, but to see Knuckles… blow everyone out of the water…

"_Knuckles_!" Leaf suddenly seized the unsuspecting Lucario in a bone-crushing hug, "That was… _amazing_! I had _no idea_ you were so great at an arcade game, of all things! I'm _so _proud of you!"

Knuckles struggled uncomfortably within her grip. He was glad she was proud of him, but really! He still needed to breathe too…!

Riley watched with a chuckle; the way Leaf was acting, you'd think she had just defeated the Pokémon league!

Toby looked on with confusion. Was everyone supposed to hug a gamer when they did a great job? Why didn't Knuckles hug Leaf when she had won last time? Should he have been hugged by Knuckles when he won? Or did it only work for this game? These rituals sure were confusing…

"Sorry, Skills, but it looks like Knuckles is going to be up here twice…" Leaf was saying as she started to enter in her Lucario's name.

"I thought it said S kills…" Riley raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter," Leaf shrugged, "Hey… you want to try it now, Riley? You haven't played a game yet…"

"No way!" Riley backed away quickly, "I don't think I have the coordination for any of that!"

"I'm sure you could do it if you really wanted to…"

"But I _don't _want to!"

"Okay, then… so… what now…?" Leaf muttered as she scanned the arcade for another game to try, "Ooh! There's that taxi game! I haven't played that in forever!"

"_Another_ game? But Leaf, we really need to-"

"Don't worry about it, Riley! We've still got like three more hours till dark anyway! We can play one more game! And besides, Toby's still got some more coins to use up anyway! Now come on; it's over here!"

Toby laughed, "Yes! Taxi is much fun! Knuckles drive so good!"

"Really?" Leaf grinned, "I've got to see that!"

"Fine…" Riley grumbled as he tagged along after them.

Once they reached the game, Leaf promptly urged Knuckles into the driver's seat.

_Are ya ready…? Here… we… go!_

As soon as the game started, Knuckles slammed the accelerator down to the floor, resulting in the taxi taking off at top speed. Unfortunately, there were a few potential customers standing around, and they had to dive out of the way, screaming, in order to not become run over by the crazy taxi.

"Watch it, Knuckles!" Leaf exclaimed, "Brake! You're gonna-"

But instead of hitting the brake, Knuckles accidently slammed his foot onto the accelerator again and wound up slamming hard into… a stationary building.

"This is why Pokémon do not drive cars," Riley stated as Knuckles aggressively swerved the car around and stepped on the gas again. The tires squealed loudly as he did this, and random pedestrians screamed and ran for their lives.

_You gotta stop and pick up a customer already!_

The game announcer nagged away as Knuckles' taxi went flying through a fruit stand, sending fruit and debris flying everywhere.

"Whoa!" Toby cried, impressed, "Knuckles is so fast! Knuckles always win taxi game!"

Riley slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Knuckles!" Leaf cried, "You have to stop and pick up somebody! You need to take somebody to their destination so that you can rack up some points!"

Knuckles growled in annoyance and made to step on the accelerator, in order to show her that he wasn't going to burden himself with _their_ pointless problems. He liked driving, and he'd rather drive in whatever direction _he_ wanted to go, not where some whiny punk wanted. However, instead of hitting the accelerator, Knuckles slammed on the brakes, sending his taxi to a screeching halt.

"Hey! You nearly hit me!" an annoying customer ran up to Knuckles' cab, "Take me to the police station!"

Knuckles growled in irritation and ignored the paying customer's request, making an illegal U-turn instead.

"Hey! You're going the wrong way!" the customer screamed.

Knuckles sniffed indignantly. That was the whole point.

"Knuckles!" Leaf cried, "You have to actually _listen _to the customers if you want to get a good score!"

Knuckles ignored her and drove onto the beach, ultimately deciding to make a right turn straight into the ocean.

"You dummy!" the customer shrieked, "You're going the wrong way!"

Knuckles snarled. The whole reason he decided to drive around underwater was to scare the customer into running away. And obviously, it hadn't worked since she was still sitting in the backseat.

"Oh, look! Wailord!" Toby cried out excitedly.

Indeed, Knuckles drove past a Wailord, very narrowly missing its massive form.

"How is the customer able to breathe underwater anyway?" Riley asked no one in particular.

"Wailord magic," Leaf shrugged.

Still annoyed that the tenacious customer did not leave his taxi yet, Knuckles sped off for the lighthouse. And crashed into it.

"How could you have hit _that_, Knuckles?" Leaf exclaimed, "It's a humungous, _stationary_ object!"

"You suck! Look at the time!" the customer screamed at Knuckles before leaping out of the taxi.

Knuckles grinned in satisfaction since he was now free to head off to his next destination, to wherever his little heart might lead him. And yes, Knuckles' heart does not obey traffic laws. Heck, it doesn't even use roads half the time.

"Knuckles, I think you've run over and killed more customers than you've actually helped…" Leaf pointed out eventually.

"You can't kill customers in this game," Riley reminded her, "It's only E rated."

"Oh, never mind then."

Now Knuckles was trapped on the highway. He was getting really ticked off, on account of the two very slow semi-truck drivers in front of him, driving side-by-side. There wasn't enough room to fit in between them, but that didn't stop Knuckles from trying.

Sparks were flying as Knuckles forced his taxi in between the two semis. Unfortunately, there just happened to be a bend in the road, resulting in the semis driving closer together and crushing Knuckles' vehicle. However, due to a glitch in the game's mechanics, Knuckles' taxi wormed its way upward until it was riding atop one of the semi-trucks. From there, the Lucario was free to drive forward as fast as he liked along the top of the truck until his taxi dropped back down to the ground.

"What the-?" Leaf stared in utter disbelief. Now Knuckles was an expert at exploiting glitches too! Geez, maybe she should get more of her Pokémon to play at the arcade…

Soon after exiting the highway, Knuckles followed the road into a carport. It was a disaster waiting to happen. All those parked cars served as road kill as the Lucario smashed his way through, knocking nearly every car out of its proper parking space in his quest to escape the unexpectedly boring area.

"Whoa!" Toby cried, "Knuckles flip car over!"

"Flipping cars over, running over innocent pedestrians, smashing into buildings… All in a day's work for the typical Lucario taxi driver…" Leaf shrugged.

_Time's up!_

Knuckles' taxi froze in midair and seconds afterward, the loading screen replaced the image. Knuckles released his grip on the steering wheel and let out a small sigh. If only he could drive a real car…

_Awright! Now let's take a look and see how you did…_

_A class E license!_

_Dude! You need to work on your skills! Try it again!_

_Game over._

"Yeah!" Toby leaned over to give Knuckles a hug, "Knuckles drive so good!"

In response, Knuckles shoved the Trainer away from him.

"What?" Toby looked affronted, "Leaf give hug when Knuckles do good! Why not Toby too?"

While the two of them proceeded to argue, Leaf turned to Riley, "You haven't played a game yet… You want to try your hand at driving a taxi, or is there something else you want to play?"

"Leaf," Riley sighed, "We shouldn't be spending this much time on video games… We really need to discuss our plan with Toby and get prepared. This could have the potential of becoming very dangerous, you know. We need to stay focused on the task at hand."

"Alright," Leaf looped her arm around Riley's, "You win. We'll leave _right after _you play one of these games here. After that, it's all business."

Riley raised an eyebrow at her, "I hardly call that winning."

oOoOoOo

Notes: I'm sorry for the slow update. School's really been kicking my butt this semester.

But anyway, is there a particular arcade game you want to see Riley play? I was thinking Pac-Man, but I'm not too sure.

Since my poll is officially out-dated now, I put up a new one. It's a question I've been wondering for a while now, and I really wonder what people think on it. If anyone can think up any more options for it, let me know, since I'll probably keep that poll up for months and months. You can decide whether to take the question seriously or not. XD

Thanks for reading!


	73. Chapter 73: Attack of the Birds

"Well," Riley shrugged his shoulders, "you're the one who likes these sorts of things, so you tell me."

Leaf scanned the area quickly. Within seconds, her face lit up, "I've got it! HitmonKong! You'll love it! It's a classic! Over here!"

Riley reluctantly followed her up to the game, and as he stared at the screen, he began to recognize this particular one. Leaf had said it was a classic, didn't she?

"Okay!" Leaf said brightly, placing her hand on the side of the machine, "The object of this game: you're a firefighter, and you need to rescue the Skitty from the evil Hitmonlee!"

Riley stared at the scenario unfolding on the screen in disbelief, "But… I thought… Now, I may be mistaken, but I believe that I may have heard of this game before…"

Leaf folded her arms across her chest and nodded, "You probably have. Like I said, it's a classic."

"But… I thought the main character was a plumber… And he needed to save his girlfriend, not a Skitty… And the villain, he was a Slaking, not a Riolu."

"A Riolu?" Leaf moved to face the screen and watched it carefully, "Oh… I guess in the Sinnoh version, they decided to have the villain be a Riolu, rather than a Hitmonlee…"

"AYE HART SKITTIES!" the pixelated Riolu shrieked.

"A crazy Riolu," Leaf corrected herself, "But anyway, Riley," she turned to face him, "what you're saying is totally wrong. There's no way a plumber would ever need to save his girlfriend from a Slaking, or any other evil Pokémon, honestly. Because obviously, Skitty are _far _more helpless than anyone's girlfriend ever could be. They get stuck in trees _all_ the time, you know. That's also why the main character is a firefighter. Firefighters are always saving Skitty... Everybody knows that."

"Well, that is very true," Riley admitted, "But what would a Riolu want with a Skitty in the first place? Why would it decide to kidnap a random Skitty?"

"It's a _crazy _Riolu! Reason doesn't apply when it comes to crazy Pokémon! Sheesh, Riley, if anything, I would've thought you'd have learned that by now!"

"Well, I suppose you have a point…" Riley agreed reluctantly, turning his head slightly to watch Knuckles chase Toby all over the place. Apparently, their little argument was nowhere near being resolved just yet.

"Alright; now that we're finished arguing about the plot, are you ready to play?" Leaf asked and clapped her hands together definitively.

"Sure…"

Once Riley inserted the coins, the game commenced.

"MUAHAHAHA! YOU WERE EXPECTING BARREL ROLLS, HUH? WELL, I'M NOT THAT PREDICTIBLE! NOW, JUST TRY TA EAT _DESE_ COOKIES!" the Riolu roared and began tossing virtual cookies along the maze Riley was attempting to navigate.

"Hey!" Leaf objected, "He's supposed to be throwing _mushrooms_! Not cookies! What the heck? Did somebody hack this machine?"

And with that, Leaf attempted to force her way to the back of the machine to get to the mainframe, even though the neighboring machines were far too close for her to have any chance of fitting between them. And of course, it was a relatively silly idea in the first place, since she really had no expertise in the matter anyway.

Riley, for his part, struggled to keep the firefighter alive. Due to the man's heavy firefighting gear, it was quite difficult for him to get any sort of height over these giant cookies.

"Bad Gateway!" Riolu shrieked, "Ur compootur haz bin infecktd wit OVER NINE THOUSAND tracking cookies! You must shut down all program at once! Or prepare 4 graphic meltdown!"

"Did I do something wrong?" Riley asked frantically as his firefighter fell victim to the power of the cookies for the tenth time, "And how many tries am I supposed to get anyway?"

"You get three lives," Leaf explained, turning her head to the side in order to try to fit between the machines.

"Well, there goes my eleventh… Or fifteenth; I've lost track."

"What? You've got an infinite amount of lives!" Leaf sprang up, abandoning all attempts at reaching the machine's mainframe, "Well, what are you complaining for? Keep playing!"

"U knot liek cookies?" Riolu screeched, "Den tri HORSES!"

And now, the evil, crazed, pixelated Riolu began to throw wooden horses that rolled all along the maze, heading straight for Riley's firefighter. Riley attempted to jump, but the horses were too big; his character fell victim to a constant death trap, somehow getting killed over and over again, in some kind of sick death loop.

"This game is completely whack!" Leaf declared.

Riley fiddled with the controls, but the character was frozen, doomed to die time and time again, "Yeah, I think it's broken."

"So now what? Are we supposed to tell somebody?"

Meanwhile, Knuckles had finally succeeded in capturing Toby; he somehow managed to catch the Trainer's pant leg in his teeth, and now, Toby was trying his hardest to shake the Pokémon off, "Go away, Knuckles! No eat Toby!"

"No violence," a voice stated wearily. Apparently, the man behind the prize counter had abandoned his post to set the two straight. He looked rather tired, as though this was his fiftieth time setting the record straight for these two (it probably was).

"Excuse me?" Leaf headed over to him, "I think this game over here is messed up…"

"Huh?" the guy looked over Leaf's businesslike attire and raised an eyebrow. What was somebody like her doing here?

"Oh! Shiftry!" he exclaimed; his weary posture straightened up in seconds, and his expression quickly looked alert, "You're the game inspector!"

"The… what?" Leaf looked at him in disbelief.

"I'll fix that for you right away, ma'am! Just don't shut down the establishment! Please, just give me a chance!" he looked ready to grovel at her feet.

"Oh, no. I'm no inspector or anything, so you don't have to worry…" Leaf assured him before he could have a heart attack.

"Oh…" he breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness. Really, that would be the last thing I needed… This day… It's just… Ugh… But anyway, yeah, which game was it?"

"HitmonKong."

"Hitmon…? Oh, you mean RioKong," he walked up to said game, glanced at the screen, and sighed, "Yeah. It's messed up." He crouched down and opened up a hidden panel on the front side of the machine to examine its mainframe. The moment he opened up the panel, cookie crumbs and wooden rocking horses tumbled out onto the floor. He muttered a few curses under his breath and shut the panel without bothering to pick up any of the fallen horses.

"Yeah, this one'll be out of order for a few days at best," he explained as he left to obtain a sign, "Blasted hackers. I swear, when I get my hands on that crazy French guy, I'll show him what cookies _really_ taste like."

"Crazy French guy?" Leaf repeated in confusion. Riley shrugged.

Even though he moved at a snail's pace, the prize counter guy returned within seconds with an 'OUT OF ORDER' sign in his hands. He placed it upon the still-lit game screen and turned to face Leaf and Riley, "Sorry, folks, but looks like it'll be awhile. Maybe you could try a different one?"

Leaf's eyes lit up, but Riley quickly stepped in, "Oh no! We've had enough of the games! It's time to leave."

"But you didn't even get to finish that game!"

"I lost over three times; I think that's enough. Now let's go; you promised."

"But that was a hacked game! And besides, you need to actually _win_ a game before you can feel some real satisfaction… I mean, come on! Don't you ever feel this inner urge to just totally pwn something? Now's your chance…!"

For a second, Leaf thought she had him. She could see it in his eyes, the desire to overcome all adversity… in virtual form. But then, he quickly shook his head.

"We have to get out of here… _now_…!"Riley took her arm and began to lead her toward the exit. The addiction… it was all too much. He had to get out of here while he still could!

oOoOoOo

A lone bird trotted upon the solid stone pavement. His little talons made a clicking noise as they clacked along the way, and his bright feathers rustled softly in the wind.

It was the dead of night.

The Galactic grunts standing guard heard him coming. They watched his approach as he made his way to the center of the open air plaza. At this exact center, the Chatot halted. He stared, his eyes wide and haunting. The grunts regarded him carefully, silent and cold.

"There once was a house. A mansion," the little bird began, his voice hollow and lifeless, "I saw it as I made my way to him. I was summoned. A terrible deed. The house warned me. Its fissure. Imperceptible, but there. I saw it. My heart was chilled. The man, my friend from childhood, sickly. He had a twin sister. I never knew. A ghost. His guilt killed him. I ran. And then…"

Here, the Chatot paused, searching his audience's faces. They merely stared back lifelessly.

"DON'T YOU WANT TO HEAR THE END OF THE STORY?" he shrieked, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU FREAKY FREAKS!"

The Chatot's cries shook the silent air. But the grunts just stared at the weird creature.

Silence.

"I don't care for stories…" one of the grunts finally said.

"AND THEN, THE HOUSE CRASHED DOWN!"

The grunts stared.

"Again, I don't care…"

"!" the Chatot shrieked a wild, manic war cry. The grunts clutched their Pokéballs, anxiously preparing themselves mentally for what this crazy bird might do next.

All of a sudden, a similar sounding war-cry erupted in the skies. Before the grunts could even look up, a giant, colossal Staraptor was upon them.

Scared out of their puny minds, the grunts scrambled to get away; feathers and Pokéballs were sent flying everywhere. Out of the shadows, fire erupted. Two figures emerged from the darkness, their shadows moving wildly and menacingly. Once they approached the frenzied mass, the shorter of the two threw himself into the fray while the taller figure shouted out orders in a foreign tongue.

Back behind the reception desk, the woman in charge frowned. What was all this commotion? She rose from her desk and set out to see for herself. What she saw made her speechless. The guards, too slow and dim-witted to pull out their Pokéballs and use them, were being hounded by a large bird Pokémon and what looked to be a bloodthirsty grass type. Beside them, a young man with a torch appeared to be egging them all on. "What is going on here?" the receptionist looked appalled, "I'm calling for back-up…"

She whirled around to head back inside, but was instead met by a Chatot in her face.

"You know," he squawked at her, "your Halloween costume sucks!"

Now, this particular receptionist, she had ornithophobia, the fear of birds. So of course, instead of thinking rationally about the situation and calling for help, she screamed and punched at the Chatot, who just laughed jovially and dodged every blow. Blathers, for his part, was actually having the time of his life here.

Meanwhile, three shadows slipped into the building, unseen by all.

The automatic doors welcomed a gray and black colored Lucario. Behind him, two humans donning ninja costumes in similar colors followed in his wake.

"Wow, Knuckles," the shorter of the two ninjas remarked, "that gray face paint really did the trick! You blend in even better than we do!"

"Where do we go from here?" the taller ninja asked, his blue eyes scanning the amount of paths they could possibly take.

Before Knuckles could have the chance to answer, the short ninja suddenly broke into a sprint and climbed over the reception desk, "A computer! This should give us a few clues!"

"Leaf!" the tall blue-eyed ninja followed after his comrade but made no attempt to climb over the desk, "We don't _need _any clues! We have Knuckles, you know! He'll tell us where we need to go!"

The short ninja, Leaf's, eyes sparkled, "Awesome! Still logged in and everything!" She didn't seem to hear Riley's comments at all and instead turned to Knuckles, who was currently sitting on the desk and eyeing the computer curiously, "Now _this _is why you should always log out before leaving your workspace! Keeps thieving ninjas like me out!"

"Workspace?" Riley repeated blankly.

"Hey! That's what Professor Oak calls it!" Leaf retorted before clicking rapidly with the mouse pad, "Ah! Documents, I see! How about I just…" she shoved a flash drive into the hardware and navigated a few more menus, "take them for myself…"

Riley glanced back at the commotion outside anxiously, "Hurry up!"

"Relax! Knuckles isn't even freaking out yet! Er-scratch that."

Knuckles began to tug on her sleeve frantically. She needed to hurry! The receptionist was coming back in here soon!

"Yeah, yeah! I get it already!" Leaf shooed him away, "Just let me eject the stupid flash drive!"

Riley glanced over again and was shocked to see the form of the receptionist heading this way, "Leaf!"

"Give me a second!" Leaf sunk down to the floor, waiting for the stupid computer to quit loading and let her take out her device already. Knuckles slid off the desk and hid beneath it, snarling at Leaf to 'hurry it up' all the while. Riley, realizing that he was the only one left standing there out in the open, darted to the stairs and quickly hid behind the wall that would hopefully separate him from the view of the receptionist.

Leaf quietly urged the computer to hurry just as Julie the receptionist headed into the lobby. The woman was clearly upset, cursing and shrieking wildly. Leaf couldn't help but take a quick note of how this lady was acting the complete opposite of the emotionless state she seemed to be advocating for back when she and Riley had first tried sneaking in. But nonetheless, it was clear to her that Julie was going to head for her computer to call for more security. And well, that might become a bit awkward with both her and Knuckles hiding underneath the woman's desk.

All of a sudden, Leaf sprung up from behind the desk and called for Knuckles to use Aura Sphere. Julie, not expecting a gray ninja to pop out from behind her desk, gasped, but her look of shock quickly wore off to reveal one of anger. "Just who the Heatran are-?"

But before she could finish that demand, Knuckles popped up and shot an Aura Sphere her way. However, this was no ordinary Aura Sphere. You see, Knuckles just happened to be observant enough to notice Julie's fanatical reaction to Blathers, and so the clever Lucario decided to shape this Aura Sphere into the form of a bird. Julie ran out of the establishment screaming as Knuckles hurled Aura Bird after Aura Bird after her.

"That takes care of her…" Leaf finally was able to pull out the flash drive, and then she quickly climbed over the desk to hurry after Riley. Knuckles smirked after the shrieking and retreating form of Julie before running after them.

"Why did you even bother with that computer?" Riley asked with exasperation once Leaf reached the stairs, "We came here to rescue Azelf, not fiddle around with their computers. Is it really worth jeopardizing our entire mission just to satisfy some simple curiosity of yours?"

"Hey! Knuckles had it under control!" Leaf retorted, "And besides, if Team Galactic makes it a habit of stealing Pokémon, I want to know about it! And now, hopefully, I've finally got some evidence that'll get the police to listen to me and arrest these crooks!"

"And they'll just accept the fact that the evidence you have there is stolen?"

Leaf frowned at her own lack of foresight, "Oops. Guess I didn't think of that… Well… at least I saved Toby and the others from having more security teams on their backs…right?"

"Which means we'll have to deal with them…" Riley pointed out as they began to head up the stairs.

"Not if Knuckles leads us away from 'em all, right Knux?"

Knuckles nodded quickly. According to his Aura sight, most of the grunts were all gathered in one place, with the exception of Cyrus and a few others.

"Huh. That's weird…" Leaf looked thoughtful. "Maybe they're going to have a meeting."

"That would certainly make it convenient for us," Riley acknowledged, before coming to a halt in front of a new room. "What's this?"

"'The TV Room'…?" Leaf read the plaque on the wall with a raised eyebrow, "'State-of-the-art audio and visual system for the enjoyment of members only. Onward to a new universe! Team Galactic!' Yeah… Bunch of nerds…"

"Strange…" Riley peeked into the room and noticed an average-sized plasma TV with several stools surrounding it.

"State-of-the-art, my foot!" Leaf peered in around him, "They don't even have chairs in there! Who likes to watch TV while sitting on a stool? "

"Galactic grunts, apparently." Riley shrugged and made to follow Knuckles down the hallway.

Leaf looked disgusted. "You'd be better off lying down on the floor!"

As they made their way down the hallway, the two ninjas and the Lucario passed several large and strange-looking machines before finally reaching a kitchen.

"'The Kitchen.'" Leaf read from another plaque on the wall, "'Partake in the consumption of tasty food and thirst-quenching drink for the increased health and posterity of all members! Onward to…' yeah… blah, blah… blah… Wow, how inspiring…"

Ignoring Riley's protests completely, Leaf walked up to the refrigerator to find a notice taped on the door. Ripping it off, she held it up to her face to read the messy handwriting upon it, "'Drink all you wish! Gain the energy to move us forward! Onward to a new…' Ugh, do they always have to say that?" She tossed the message onto the floor and pulled open the fridge to check out what they had in there.

To her surprise, it was filled with tall cans of some sort of drink. The brand label on the side of them was unknown to her, so she picked one up to get a better look. Upon closer inspection, the words on the label appeared to be written in a foreign tongue. "Hey, what language is this?" she asked Riley.

"No idea…" he shrugged, "Now, let's forget about that and get moving."

"Just a minute," Leaf headed to the sink, "Let me pour some of it out here so that I can see what it looks like…"

To Leaf's intense disgust, the sink was caked with an unknown yellowish-green substance. To make matters worse, the entire area reeked of a foul odor. Pinching her nose shut with her right hand, Leaf poured the drink into the sink with her left hand to see that the can was filled with a murky, gray liquid.

"Oh! Gross! These people are so nasty!" Absolutely repulsed now, Leaf dropped the can into the sink, allowing it to crash down to the bottom and smash itself into pieces.

Riley's stomach turned, and even Knuckles looked slightly sick, "We _need_ to find a way out of here… The sooner, the better."

oOoOoOo

Notes: Man, Team Galactic is so gross… D:

Anyway, I have great news! I finally figured out the secret as to why I hated the way I write Pokémon battle scenes so much: it's the abundance of useless dialogue. So, from now on, I'm not going to use direct dialogue in order to convey which moves the Pokémon will use. I think it'll lead to much cleaner-looking battle scenes, I hope.

Oh, and this won't be the last time our heroes go to the arcade, so don't worry about that. ;)

Thanks for reading and sticking with me on this story!


	74. Chapter 74: A 'Swell' Speech

"What do we do, Knuckles?" Leaf exclaimed. The three of them had escaped the sheer nastiness of the kitchen but were now trapped in the midst of a total dead end.

Knuckles calmly approached one of the strange glowing tiles on the floor and explained about their inherent powers, swinging his paws around for emphasis. Apparently, these yellow panels would allow them to warp to new areas within this building.

"Oh!" Leaf brightened. "So you're saying we can warp around using these panels here?"

"We can warp using floor panels?" Riley repeated, utterly confounded. "How could a _floor panel_ allow us to warp to new places?"

"Oh, don't be such a realist, Riley! Now go on over and stand on it! It's easy!" Leaf declared, giving Riley a push. "Just stand on the tile and see where you'll end up! Just don't stand there for too long 'cause Knuckles and I are heading through next!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Riley exclaimed, widening his stance to prevent her from pushing him closer towards the creepy and mysterious floor paneling. "This is just _too_ weird!"

"Oh come on, Riley! Just do it already!" Leaf insisted, turning a bit and shoving her shoulder into his back in an attempt to push him towards the warp tile.

Knuckles slapped a paw to his forehead. Really! The two of them were just like children! Apparently, he was going to have to move things along…

Grunting at Leaf to cut it out for now, Knuckles immediately seized Riley's arm and dragged him over to the glowing tile. Riley planted his feet firmly to the ground in an attempt to resist, but in this case, resistance was futile!

The second his feet touched the tile, Riley began to spin continuously, at a much faster pace than he would have liked. The walls blurred from the speed of his spinning, and he was forced to shut his eyes to keep from losing his lunch. Once the spinning finally stopped, Riley staggered over to the wall and leaned against it, trying his best to maintain his balance.

Moments later, Leaf appeared. She carefully eased herself away from the tile, her expression slightly dazed. "Whew! Been a while since I've done that!"

"Been… a while…?" Riley repeated in stunned disbelief.

But before Leaf could address him, Knuckles materialized. He shook his head wildly before walking away normally from the strange panel. Then he just stood there, watching the two of them get over their dizziness.

"Knuckles! The conqueror of motion sickness!" Leaf declared proudly.

"Never mind that!" Riley said with annoyance. "What just happened there? How did we get here?"

"I told you before!" Leaf shot him a silly grin (which actually wasn't even seen by Riley, thanks to the ninja mask covering her face). "We warped!"

"I understand that… obviously… But what I mean to say is: _how_?"

"Beats me." she shrugged. "But hey, they had the same sort of thing going on in the Silph Company building… I guess it's just a convenient method of travel."

"Oh, it's convenient all right… Convenient for vomiting, that is."

Knuckles snapped at them with a few irritated growls and then carefully walked along the relatively short hallway, his back against the wall.

"What'd he say?" Riley wondered.

"Shut up?" Leaf provided with a shrug. "And he also said that, apparently, the meeting between all of the Galactic grunts is being held just on the other side of this wall here…"

"What?" he dropped his voice to a whisper. "How will we get past them?"

"No idea… But for now… I guess we might as well listen in…"

Without another word, the two ninjas crept along the wall and waited beside Knuckles.

oOoOoOo

Cyrus strode to the podium and cleared his throat impressively. Yes, he coughed impressively. Only the true boss of Team Galactic could be able to do such a mundane thing so wondrously, of course. Once he reached the podium, Cyrus' face also appeared on a large television screen just behind him. Now everyone in the room could very easily see his ugly face. Hooray.

"Fellow members of Team Galactic!" Cyrus boomed, causing all idle grunts to snap to attention. "I am, as I appear to you now, a man named Cyrus! Hear me now as I speak to you all!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, Leaf rolled her eyes. What a real fantastic speech he was giving there…

"I call you all here today to hear of our ambitions!" Cyrus continued. "As you all know perfectly well… our world is a flawed one. It is incomplete. We all struggle endlessly… in a world that knows no end to its own sorrow and hatred. In our struggles for survival in this harsh world, we hurt one another… we maim… we destroy.

"Well, I plan to put an end to all of this soon enough. How, you may ask? By destroying all emotion in this world and replacing it with Strength and Unity! Together, we shall create a NEW world! A world of DREAMS! Through the _power_ of Team Galactic, we WILL achieve this greatness! Do not EVER doubt our glory! For we have done much already... Together! We pored over _vast_ amounts of myths and research to obtain the_ truth_ and _power_ behind them! Together! We captured the _legendary_ Pokémon of the Lakes! Together! We gathered the _mystical_ Lustrous and Adamant Orbs! And together! We shall CREATE… A NEW WORLD! ONWARD TO A NEW UNIVERSE! TEAM GALACTIC!"

At this, the crowd of grunts cheered loudly and shrieked of the glory and wonders of Team Galactic. Cyrus merely jerked his face forward in an obligatory bowing motion and swiftly left. The crowd continued to cheer and shout for quite some time before finally quieting down.

Leaf, Riley, and Knuckles remained still for a few moments, absorbing the absurdness that is Team Galactic. It was Leaf who finally broke the ice. "Okay… so… Cyrus is even _crazier_ than I thought! And he's got a whole _army_ behind him!"

"This isn't good…" Riley said weakly. He slowly turned to Leaf. "Do you think… he truly could have the power to alter the world as we know it?"

"I don't know…" Leaf faltered, looking thoughtful. "It's hard to tell between the rantings of a crazy madman and the rantings of a crazy madman who actually has the ability to back up his words."

She paused. "But I do know one thing for sure: he clearly said in that speech there that he has the legendary Lake Pokémon. So it turns out my guesses were correct… and for now, we have to focus on getting these Pokémon back. We have to. For Azelf's sake."

"But how will we get past all of these grunts? And what if some of them decide to head this way… whenever they finally decide to clear out, that is?"

"I don't think they're coming this way…" Leaf cautiously peeked around the wall to spy on the remaining grunts while Knuckles started to tug on her sleeve. "What is it, Knuck-Uh oh!"

Riley whirled around to see a Galactic grunt heading right towards them! Both he and Leaf seized their Pokéballs while Knuckles continued to tug on Leaf's sleeve and growl at her.

"H-Wait!" the grunt cried quickly. "I am not in the Team Galactic!"

"What?" Leaf paused to actually take in the meaning of Knuckles' growls and finally realized the truth. "Oh! It's Looker!"

The grunt froze. "You people… Just who are you?"

"It's me, Leaf! And you remember Riley, right? It's us!"

The man paused, staring intently into the duo's eyes. Then his face brightened, and now it was very easy for both Leaf and Riley to ascertain the man's true identity. They both remembered Looker well; he was the officer of the International Police that they had met back in Pastoria City. "Yes! I see now! You are Leaf and Riley! And yes, I am Looker, and I am here to gather informations on the Team Galactic! But you must leave quickly! It is very much dangerous here!"

But then Looker paused. "Ah, yes… But you have Pokémon with you, so you should be fine..." He looked at them carefully. "I know not what you are going to be doing here, but I recommend you remain careful. Please do not do something you may regret later…"

"We won't." Leaf said firmly. "We aren't here just for the heck of it… We're trying to save my stolen Pokémon…"

"Ah… I see…" Looker frowned, his head nodding slightly in understanding. "If that is being the case, perhaps I can be helping you. You need to go past this place, into the next room?"

"Ideally, yes." Riley answered.

"Yes, I can be giving assistance. I will lead the Team Galactic away."

"How?" Leaf raised an eyebrow (which, again, wasn't seen by anyone thanks to her mask).

Looker smiled and indicated a small badge on his shoulder. "I am a high-level Team Galactic man now!"

"Oh! Right!" Leaf grinned (again, unseen due to the ninja mask!). "Thanks Looker! That would really help us out!"

"No problems." Looker nodded again. "I wish you good luck. You will need it."

"Thanks. And good luck to you too!" After a brief and awkward pause, Leaf nodded. "And don't worry! We won't ask about your mission!"

"Even if you ask, I can't be telling you about it." Looker nodded and bade them one last good-bye before heading out. After a short while, they could hear him ushering the remaining grunts away.

Once their Auras were far enough out of sight, Knuckles let out a cry and rushed into the next room. Leaf and Riley hurried after him to enter the large room that laid before the raised podium. On the television just beyond the podium, 're-runs' of Cyrus' speech were playing, and Leaf couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at it. Not that anyone could see, of course.

"So which tile should we take this time, Knuckles?" she wondered. Three tiles waited for them at the other end of the room.

"More tile travel?" Riley looked quite weary already.

"Tile Travel?" Leaf laughed. "Good thing Blathers isn't here, or he'd beat that phrase to death!"

oOoOoOo

Over on the other side of the world, or rather, just in middle of the courtyard in front of Galactic Headquarters… Blathers suddenly gasped. He clasped his heart with his wing and stared at the sky with shock. "I sense… a _disturbance_…!"

oOoOoOo

Meanwhile, Knuckles contemplated the tiles with indecision brewing in his mind. The truth was, he really had no idea where each of these tiles led to and therefore, he had no idea which one would be the best to take. But he couldn't let Riley and Leaf know that.

Knuckles pointed to the rightmost tile with confidence.

"Great! Then let's take that one!" Leaf cried. She then turned to Riley. "You want to go first, or…?"

"Sure… I can." Riley mumbled and walked over to begin another round of spinning.

After the three of them reached the next destination, they were not surprised to discover that they were in another hallway. After spending a brief moment to re-orient himself, Knuckles led the way once again. They passed more and more freaky machines before finally reaching a new room.

"'The Nap Room'." Leaf read from the plaque. "'Ensure the bed is unoccupied before entering it! Onward to a new-!' Wait! What the heck? Who would be stupid enough to get into a bed while someone else is sleeping in it!"

"Maybe the beds are large?" Riley shrugged before peering into the room to take a look. "Or, on second thought, maybe not."

Within the room, two average-sized twin beds laid in wait. No one, thankfully, was using them. Surprisingly, Leaf could see a Poké Doll tucked under the blankets of one of the beds. Its head was resting upon the pillow, as if someone had deliberately placed it there, so that the inanimate object could take 'a restful nap.'

"Hey Knuckles!" she spoke up. "Go and get that Clefairy doll for me, will you?"

Knuckles gave her a skeptical look. Just what would she want with that thing, anyway?

"I can use it to scare off wild Pokémon!" she pointed out. "It'll be especially handy whenever there's a rabid Jigglypuff around!"

"A rabid Jigglypuff?" Riley repeated in disbelief. "Isn't that a bit of an oxymoron?"

"Believe me." Leaf shot him a serious look (masked by the ninja cloth). "Jigglypuff are a nasty bunch. Be happy they don't live here in Sinnoh. Now go and grab that doll, Knuckles, before somebody sees you!"

Knuckles grumbled. Couldn't she get it herself? Why did he have to do it anyway?

"Well, duh; it could be _dangerous_, and you're the only one who's tough enough to handle any potential trap that could come your way… Well, unless it has to do with incense of course… But I'll be there to cover your back if it does."

Knuckles rolled his eyes but complied anyway, snatching the doll and bringing it back with absolute ease.

"Oh… I guess there wasn't any trap…" Leaf admitted sheepishly and placed the doll into her ninja pouch.

Riley watched her with unease. "But isn't that stealing?"

Leaf shot him an annoyed look that was once again, unnoticed. "Riley! They _stole my _Pokémon! Besides, they're too old to play with dolls anyway. I could give this to a Jigglypuff that _needs_ it."

Riley shook his head with a hidden smile. "So that makes it perfectly okay…"

"Yup! It does!" Leaf agreed, pretending not to catch the sarcasm. "Well, lead the way, Knuckles!"

After walking down another hallway filled with whirring and whizzing machines, the three passed a closed door, behind which they could hear muffled banter. Knuckles slowly and carefully crept past the door while the two ninjas imitated him as closely as they could. Thankfully, the three managed to make it past without being detected in any way.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Knuckles led the way to the staircase and climbed it with the others in his wake. Shortly after reaching the top, the three encountered the entrance to a rather large room with some silly sort of decoration upon the walls. Apparently, someone had had the idea to paint the walls black and to paste plastic, glow-in-the-dark stars on them in order to enliven the stark coloring. Whoever it was, that person was a true creative genius indeed.

"Wow, talk about a funny room…" Leaf was too stunned by the strangeness of the interior to even look for a plaque to read.

Deciding it best to just keep moving, Knuckles headed forward and crossed the threshold. The second he did so, several loud alarms went off, blaring endlessly.

The three jumped from the sudden loud noise and became even tenser upon hearing the sounds of rapid footsteps coming from downstairs.

"Run!" Leaf cried frantically, and she and Knuckles scampered off.

Riley, however, made no move to follow.

"Riley!" Leaf hissed. "What are you doing? Hurry up!"

"You go on ahead." he answered calmly. "They have no way of knowing how many of us entered this room, so if they assume I'm the only intruder, you'll be free to go after Azelf and the other Pokémon."

"But Riley-!"

"Go!"

If Riley's order wasn't forceful enough, Knuckles' tugging on her arm certainly was, and so the pair hid behind the rightmost wall, just beyond the room's only other exit.

Seconds later, a whole horde of Galactic grunts climbed the stairs and entered the room, staring at Riley with stunned confusion.

"What's with the ninja get-up?" one asked finally.

But instead of answering, Riley released his Metagross. The grunts clutched their own Pokéballs, fearing a possible attack. But instead of attacking, Metagross began to crawl all over the walls and ceiling, at a surprisingly fast pace. To the grunts' absolute horror, he was ruining the fresh paint job, and not only that, his metallic claws were ripping off the plastic stars!

"Aaah! This is Master Cyrus' personal office! He'll _kill _us all when he sees this!" a random grunt screamed. In response, the grunts began releasing all of their Pokémon, in order to stop this madness.

So Riley released Salamence.

And Salamence just happened to _hate _the particular shade of black on the walls with a passion.

Roaring in fury, Salamence unleashed a devastatingly powerful Flamethrower, turning his head in a sweeping motion, practically setting the entire room on fire.

oOoOoOo

Meanwhile, Knuckles was hissing at Leaf in the quietest voice he could muster. Standing around doing nothing but listening in was dangerous! By not moving forward, they weren't taking Riley's sacrifice seriously!

"Okay… you're right…" Leaf whispered back and headed for the nearby warp tile.

After the two had warped and Leaf had recovered from her dizziness, the two were surprised by the lack of artificial light in this new hallway. Truly, the light in all of the other hallways they had walked down weren't bathed in the most flattering light, but here, not a single overhead lamp lit the way. Instead, the whole hall was bathed in an eerie green hue, emanating from the large and strange machines lining the walls.

"What is this place…?" Leaf whispered, looking around with a quiet fear.

oOoOoOo

Notes: I always thought it a little weird how (in the games) you can just steal whatever you find lying around people's bases…

Oh, yeah, and I just recently learned that some rules for English have changed since I last learned them, apparently. Supposedly, when a singular noun ending in 's' possesses something, there is still an 's' after it.

So… 'Knuckles' fist' _should_ be written as 'Knuckles's fist.' Personally, I find this 'law' to be stupid, so I refuse to obey it. And I will say that the guy who wrote _Pygmalion_, George Bernard Shaw, made up his own rules as well (ex. he wrote 'didnt' as opposed to the 'proper' form, 'didn't.') So, like him, I'll just make up my own rules and stick to them as I see fit. XD

Oh, and if you want to know, if the noun is plural, then the rule remains how I prefer it to be. (ex. the grunts' Pokéballs.)

Ah, and I'm sorry for the lack of updates lately. I was working on a Christmas fanfic, dealing with characters of this story actually, but I decided to put it on hiatus for now, possibly until next Christmas season. I just think it'll be a better read once we get farther along in this story. As it is, that fic already kind of gives out too many hints of future events… And plus, I want to spend more of my time writing _this_ story right now.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me!


	75. Chapter 75: Uranus

Notes: Man, this chapter got to be so long…! Well, it does have a battle in it, so hopefully, it'll be worth it.

Oh yeah, and young readers should read the third paragraph with caution, seeing as it's pretty gross and probably kind of scary too.

Okay! On with the story!

oOoOoOo

"What is this place?" Leaf looked around apprehensively. The eerie, green, glowing tanks lining the hallway filled both Trainer and Pokémon with a sense of unease. There was definitely something weird going on here, even weirder than the comparatively trivial strangeness of Team Galactic that they had already encountered so far.

To better answer her question, Knuckles walked up to the nearest tank and gazed into its depths, trying to discern what was inside. His dreadlocks twitched suddenly, and he shuddered at the horrifying Aura emanations emitting from the partially-living entities within these strange machines.

"What is it?" Leaf moved beside him and peered at the glass. The machine was filled with a sickly, greenish goop that glowed, which was casting the whole room in odd lighting. And within that goop, some kind of twitching mass was suspended. The mass didn't really look like a Pokémon, or a human either, for that matter; she honestly couldn't tell what it was. It seemed to be living though, since it was twitching at random intervals. As she gazed at it, she became startled to see a random eyeball open up and stare at her.

Utterly freaked out, Leaf backed away and started to scream. But before she could make a sound, Knuckles quickly pressed a paw over her mouth, shaking his head frantically. She couldn't scream now! Azelf was in the room just at the end of the hallway along with his captors! She couldn't throw away their only chance at catching them off-guard by shouting like that!

"Okay! I get it!" she backed away and tried not to look at any of the tanks surrounding them. But even just thinking about it, her stomach turned with disgust. "Just what the heck are they keeping in those tanks anyway? That thing looked like a blob of skin and organs!"

Knuckles shook his head and gently took her arm, guiding her down the hall. She really didn't want to know what was in those machines… It was probably for the better if he didn't elaborate.

She acquiesced for a moment, but then abruptly pulled away from his grasp. "Are they experimenting on Pokémon?"

The Lucario solemnly nodded his head.

_Azelf… Then it might already be too late… _

Leaf felt sick to her stomach. Who knows what they could have done to Azelf and the other Lake Pokémon by now? They had to hurry.

"Let's go." she led the way, focusing her gaze straight ahead, away from the tanks. Once they reached the end of the hall, they paused before the exit.

"The Lake Trio is right behind this door, aren't they?" Leaf asked and began to remove her mask.

Knuckles nodded. They seemed to be injured, but they were there. Two humans were in there with them, and one in particular had a very familiar Aura…

He glanced over at Leaf and gaped. Her mask! Had she completely lost it? They were going to recognize her!

"No more... I can't hide from this any longer." She shook her head, and her hair finally fell free as well. "Whether they recognize me or not, it doesn't really matter anyway. I'm just… tired of hiding."

Knuckles gave her a doubtful look, but she ignored it, walking over and pulling the door open.

Beyond the threshold, three small machines laid before a massive one. Within each of the smaller contraptions, Leaf and her Lucario could see each of the three Lake Legendries, with Azelf just a few feet ahead of them. All three Pokémon looked battered and beaten, each of them lying on the bottom of their tiny prisons. Their foreheads, in particular, looked bruised and bloodied; Leaf's indignation and apprehension increased at the sight.

In front of the massive machine, Saturn and Charon were busy pressing random buttons. Either that, or they were merely standing there doing nothing; it was hard to tell between the two.

At the sound of Leaf opening the door, Saturn whirled around. His look of surprise quickly faded into a confidant smirk. "So it's you. Here to 'settle the score' I see. How very amusing. I'll admit, I'm surprised you'd come all this way just to pick a fight you'll only lose… just like last time."

"Who is it?" Charon, being a slow old man, took much longer to turn around and see who had intruded on their privacy. "Oh ho! A _shiny, rare _Pokémon! What a _lovely _surprise!"

"Just let them go!" Leaf ordered, ignoring all stupid banter. Knuckles charged into the room, and she followed on his heels.

"Let 'them' go…?" Saturn repeated, snickering slightly with contempt. "Are you talking about these Lake Pokémon? You came all this way to save _them_? Why would you even bother?"

"I won't let them suffer any longer! Let them go now, or I'll _make_ you!" Leaf repeated, holding out a Pokéball.

"Heh, I'd like to see that…"

"Saturn!" Charon spoke up, still ogling the gray-colored Lucario at Leaf's side. "_Seize_ that shiny Lucario! I _must _have it! Think of all the _scientific knowledge _I can gather from such a rare Pokémon! Grab it now!"

"Stupid old geezer!" Saturn snapped. "A shiny Lucario would be yellow!"

"Then it must be even_ rarer_ than a shiny Lucario!"

"Hardly!" the blue-haired commander scoffed. "That's just an ordinary Lucario! It's probably just been rolling around in mud!"

"Oh… my!" the old man crinkled his nose in contempt. "And now the mud's hardened and turned all gray and crusty… what a filthy creature!"

Knuckles barked at them with indignation. Morons! It's called gray paint!

"Enough of this! You!" Saturn cried, pointing at Leaf. "It's not often that I have to punish someone twice; let's see if you can make it out of this battle! Now go Toxicroak!"

Leaf called out her Swablu, and the two dual types glared at one another with disgust. In Popuri's eyes, a creature as smelly and gross as her opponent shouldn't be allowed to win _any_ battles! Certainly not this one! Her heart began to fill with a burning desire to expunge any and all unsightly smells! In short, she was pumped for this, in her own, little cotton bird way.

Eager to begin and ultimately end this once and for all, Saturn called for his Pokémon to use Poison Jab attack. Accordingly, Toxicroak's arm glowed in a sickly purplish hue and struck Popuri, hitting the flying type squarely.

Per Leaf's order, Popuri flew up near the ceiling, high out of Toxicroak's reach, to prepare her Fly attack. The Toxicroak could only wait and attempt to dodge once she came sailing back down. While attempting to roll away, he lost sight of the little bird and as a consequence, got hit right on the head by her attack.

"Look alive, Toxicroak, and use your X-Scissor! Now!" Saturn practically shrieked.

Feigning weakness, Toxicroak waited until Popuri came close before striking her severely with both his arms. Unfortunately for Leaf, her Swablu cringed from the critical hit. This allowed Toxicroak to use X-Scissor once again. After she had recovered from that, Popuri sang beautifully, and Toxicroak immediately fell asleep. Annoyed, Saturn recalled the Pokémon and called on his Bronzor for battle.

Leaf quickly recalled her Pokémon as well and paused a moment, a slight smile forming on her face. "Let's see you handle this one!"

Pulling out an unfamiliar Pokéball from her ninja pouch, she called upon Riley's Absol.

"_Disaster_!" Charon screamed, ducking behind the massive machine. "That Pokémon foreshadows doom! We're all going to _die_!"

"Can it, old man!" Saturn snapped, rolling his eyes. "That's only a silly legend! And you call yourself a man of science!"

"But the theory hasn't been disproved!" Charon protested, still hiding behind the machine like a pansy. Well, technically speaking, he was a bit too pudgy to actually fit behind it, so it would be more accurate to say he was merely cowering next to it.

"Just keep quiet! Now Bronzor, start with Confuse Ray!"

But just as he said that, Leaf ordered Absol to use Swagger. The attacks hit at roughly the same time, causing both Pokémon to become confused.

When both Trainers recalled their Pokémon, Charon breathed an over-dramatic sigh of relief. Not that anyone really noticed or even cared anyway.

This time, Saturn decided to send out Golbat. The bat used its giant, gaping mouth to laugh at them, sounding exactly like a big stupid idiot.

It was really annoying, so Leaf decided to annihilate it with her Blastoise… in a nonliteral sense, of course. Upon being released for battle, Vegeta roared epically, only to stop and stare in disappointment at the idiocy of his noobish opponent.

"Poison Fang!"

Golbat swooped down to bite Vegeta on the ear, causing the Blastoise to bellow out in pain and swat at the pesky Pokémon. After he had recovered, Vegeta blasted it with his Hydro Cannon, causing the Golbat to immediately faint.

"Eeeeyah!" Charon screamed, clutching his head. "That one knows Hydro Cannon! The Absol was right after all! You're going to lose, Saturn! Epically! …Er, wait… the young people these days… they say Epic Noon in this sort of situation, don't they? What do they say when one loses horribly?"

"Close your mouth, old man! Or is that impossible for a geezer as idiotic as you are?" Saturn snapped. "I'm only losing because _you're _distracting me!"

"Hey, he's distracting me too, you know…" Leaf pointed out.

"I resent that!" Charon croaked. "You both are nothing but Epic Noons!"

Ignoring them both entirely, Saturn called upon Bronzor again. Since Vegeta was unable to attack, Bronzor succeeded in using Confuse Ray right from the start.

Instead of dealing with his confusion, Leaf recalled the Blastoise and sent out Absol once again. Before the Bronzor could use Confuse Ray again, the dark type Pokémon knocked him in his plate-like face using her Sucker Punch. Bronzor retaliated with a Gyro Ball attack.

Shaking off the pain, Absol then used Night Slash, slashing the plate Pokémon up with a critical hit. Bronzor shuddered for a moment, but then fell over in a faint. Growling with anger, Saturn called out his sleeping Toxicroak.

"Only three Pokémon with you today?" Leaf observed. "I guess this is what happens when you underestimate a ninja…!"

"This isn't over yet!" Saturn snarled.

"It will be soon enough."

"Saturn!" Charon screamed. "You _can't _let her beat you! The Lake Pokémon! She'll steal them!"

"It doesn't matter either way…We already have what we need." The commander replied calmly, a small smirk on his face.

"_No_!" the old scientist exclaimed. "I still want to perform more experiments!"

"I _won't _let you! You've done enough!" Leaf cried, recalling Absol and sending out Popuri once again.

The bird Pokémon assaulted the sleeping Toxicroak with Steel Wing and Dragon Pulse attacks. Toxicroak feigned sleeping for a split second longer, in order to drop the bird's guard, and then brutally smashed her with his Poison Jab. Popuri shrieked; the sudden attack sent her flying until she crashed into the wall.

"Ha! Finally! Toxicroak! Finish it with a Faint attack!"

After slamming into the wall, Popuri slowly sank down, too tired to fly with her wings. Leaf quickly recalled her, before Toxicroak could deliver the final blow.

Holding Vegeta's Pokéball in her hand, Leaf glared at the Toxicroak as he stood before her. "I'll be honest… Ever since you attacked Riley… I've been wanting to wipe that disgusting smirk… off _both _those ugly faces!"

Saturn laughed. "You can say whatever you want. You've had a huge advantage today… what with the old man chattering away like a blithering fool and my lack of a proper Pokémon team… You merely surprised me; that's all."

"I wasn't expecting to fight you that day…!" she reminded him. "And I certainly didn't have my proper team at my side at the time! So now does it feel, now that the tables have been turned?"

"The Absol has foretold it!" Charon shrieked.

"You just don't seem to understand, do you?" Saturn smirked, ignoring the old scientist entirely. "The tables _never _turn on Team Galactic. You're already too late. No one can stop us, no matter what."

"Destroy that Toxicroak, Vegeta!" Leaf cried vehemently, tossing his Pokéball with a lot more heat than was necessary. The Pokéball smacked Toxicroak in the head before ricocheting to the ground and popping open. Toxicroak reeled for a moment before quickly assuming a battle stance.

Upon being released, Vegeta roared, blasting the enemy with the full power of his water cannons. The force of the blast sent Toxicroak flying, slamming into the wall. Once the massive flow of water diminished, Toxicroak fell to the ground, fainted. Saturn recalled the Pokémon, looking rather unfazed.

"Now! Let the Lake Pokémon go!" Leaf ordered. Vegeta bellowed in agreement.

"You want them that badly?" Saturn raised an eyebrow slightly. "Fine. Press that large button in the center of that panel there. It will free them."

"You expect me to fall for that?" the unmasked ninja shot back. "Press it yourself! And if it doesn't work, I'll have Vegeta blast _you_ next!"

"I told you before." The commander responded. "This is no trick. We have no use for them anymore. Do with them what you like. I couldn't care less."

"Are_ trying_ to test me?" Leaf snapped severely. "Release them _now_ or I'll have my Pokémon do to you what you've done to those legendries!"

"Let them go, Saturn!" Charon pleaded. "I don't want to be killed by a dirty Lucario!"

"Hmph, and you said you'd do anything to expand your scientific knowledge…" Saturn quipped as he walked over and pressed the button.

After he did so, the glass surrounding the three Pokémon disappeared. Despite their injuries, Uxie and Mesprit quickly sprang up and flew out of the room. Leaf let out a sigh of relief before hurrying over to Azelf's prison. "Azelf! You're-!"

But Azelf quickly pulled himself together and flew out of the room after his brother and sister. He didn't even bother to spare Leaf a passing glance before disappearing out of sight.

Dumbfounded, Leaf stood still. Vegeta's jaw dropped. He exchanged a glanced with an equally confused Knuckles before turning his attention back on Leaf, who hadn't moved.

Saturn laughed, openly and loudly, breaking the silence abruptly. "After all that trouble, your _own Pokémon_ deserts you! Ah ha ha ha! How absolutely pathetic!"

Charon joined in the laughter, but it was quickly overtaken by hacking coughs.

Knuckles snarled at them, extending his claws. How dare they laugh!

But Vegeta, for his part, stared at his Trainer with growing concern. What would she do, now that Azelf had left without them?

Leaf turned back around, her expression downcast. "I deserve it, really. After all… I pretty much abandoned Azelf by failing to protect him properly, so… it would make sense that he would do the same to me… Let's just go. The Pokémon are all safe now; that's what really matters."

With that said, she recalled Vegeta and beckoned Knuckles to follow her out.

"Saturn!" Charon managed to choke out in between his coughing fit.

Saturn stopped laughing and glanced at the screen Charon was gesturing towards. "Ah! Looks like security finally made it after all. So, do you think you can allow them to escort you out? Or would you prefer to be carried out? Either way, your time here is up!"

"We were just leaving anyway." Leaf said flatly. At her words, a horde of Machoke showed up at the door, awaiting instruction.

"Escort them out," Saturn commanded lazily, "and if they give they give you any trouble, be sure to hit an alarm, hmm?"

Leaf shook her head with disgust. "You think you're real smart, huh, Uranus?"

"That is _not _my name!" he shrieked while Charon roared with laughter. Of course, his laughter quickly turned into another bout of coughing. "Get them _out_ of here now!"

One of the Machoke gave Leaf a push. Snarling, Knuckles shoved the beefy Pokémon back into one of his comrades.

"Calm down, Knuckles!" Leaf quickly waved her arms around in surrender at the increasingly angrier-looking Machoke. "We'll cooperate fully; no need for anyone to go crazy here now!"

With that, she and Knuckles were directed, with a bit of friendly persuasion by the horde of Machoke, towards a green tile in the corner of the room.

Upon touching it, the two were sent spinning, just like with all of the other tiles they had already encountered. This time, however, it all seemed to be quite a bit less safe, considering that the two were both spinning on the same tile at once.

Once it was all over though, Leaf was surprised to see that they were in a fairly large room filled with plenty of boxes. A few Machoke were standing around, and at the sight of the two intruders, one of them pointed to the door and grunted.

After she had recovered for a moment, Leaf and Knuckles headed out the door, only to walk straight into the lobby. "Good..." she sighed with relief. "That was a lot easier than I thought…. Now we can finally get out of here…"

And with that, the two left for the courtyard. Leaf was a bit surprised find the place empty, but Knuckles quickly indicated to her that both Riley and Toby were already waiting for them, at the bottom of the stairs beyond the paved yard. The two hurried off in said direction, to find Riley, Toby, and Ki sitting on the steps.

"So I'm thinking you guys got kicked out as well?" Leaf called as she headed down to greet them.

"Well… yes." Riley said sheepishly, returning her embrace.

Ki smiled warmly at Knuckles, who gave a quick and embarrassed-looking grin in return.

"Good!" Toby exclaimed, coming up behind Leaf and hugging both her and Riley, resulting in her being sandwiched between them. "All is safe now!"

"Okay! Toby! That's enough!" Leaf squirmed, struggling for air.

Riley backed away and looked at her carefully. "So then… I take it you weren't able to rescue Azelf?"

"No, I was…" Leaf replied, looking away. "Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie… they're all safe now… They took off right after I defeated Saturn."

"Took off?" he repeated, looking at her with confusion. "But Azelf… didn't you return him to his Pokéball?"

"I don't have his Pokéball…not anymore…"

"Yes, but…!" he faltered, dumbstruck. "He's still your Pokémon!"

Leaf said nothing, still staring at the ground. Then she looked up, her eyes shining with tears. "How _can _I call him my Pokémon? I've failed him… in more ways than one…"

"Leaf…" Riley carefully embraced her once more. "You haven't failed anyone… You only did what you thought was best, and you did everything you could to protect him…"

"Yes, Leaf is good…" Toby agreed, patting her head. He figured trying to hug her again would only make her act crazy. "Sad is bad! So, Leaf become happy again!"

"He's right." Riley agreed. "Let's head back to the Pokémon Center, and we can talk this over some more over a drink or something. Then we'll figure out where to go from there, hmm?"

"It's too late for that…!" Leaf moved back and smiled, in spite of everything. "You know the nurse'll just kick us straight to bed if we head back there now!"

"Well, somewhere else then?" he suggested, smiling in return.

"Candy shop!" Toby yelled, running off ahead.

Knuckles stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. Ki merely smiled, walking after his Trainer at his own pace.


	76. Chapter 76: The Creature of the Deep

I forgot to say last time, but Leaf had Absol on her team because Riley allowed it. As you know, she was missing Blathers, so she really needed another Pokémon to help her out a little. So yeah… She didn't just randomly decide to steal his Pokémon from him, if that's what you were thinking. XD

Anyway, I'm sorry for being a bit late on the updating… I've been engaged in some pretty epic battles lately… mainly against my homework.

So hey! It's a Pokécentric chapter this time! And actually, since this one was turning out to be really long, I've decided that I'm going to split it into two parts. So you'll get two Pokécentric chapters in a row this time around, it seems.

oOoOoOo

"I'm back! Back! Back! Back! Back! Baaack!" Blathers sang out obnoxiously, hopping on over to Leaf's side.

Leaf turned away from the screen of her laptop and glared at the irritating distraction. "I'm _trying _to read! Can't you annoy me some _other _time?"

"Whatcha readin'?" Blathers asked excitedly, hopping right onto the keyboard so that he could stare stupidly at the screen. "Bidoof's Yup-Yup Journal?"

"Just… get off!" Leaf seized the little bird and tossed him into the air.

Luckily, being a bird, he was able to regain his bearings soon enough. "You _meanie_! I'm _telling _on you! This is bird discrimination! You should be _expelled_!"

"Just leave me alone, Blathers! This is important!" she snapped before returning to her reading.

"_Well_! How _rude_!" Blathers landed upon the ground in a huff, his feathers puffing up importantly. He then looked around carefully, trying to determine who might be the best person to chastise Leaf for him. Because she was_ obviously _in need of a stern talking-to, and Blathers, well he was _far_ too important and busy to take care of such trivial matters himself. "Hmmm…"

Well, there was Toby, trying to fish. However, since he was still a total noob, he was only trying to do it and thus, utterly failing in his pathetic attempt. So then, would he be able to give an effective lecture to the unruly Leaf? Wait… lectures? What? Did those actually work nowadays? Well… according to some random data a random Porygon told him about in a random dream, _lecturing _was the best way to deal with misbehavior, particularly the misbehavior of a misbehaving Trainer.

Blathers shook his head wildly. "Whoa! Even my own thoughts are getting to be a tad randomly random. But anyway! Toby… No… he wouldn't do. He just _won't_ do…"

The crazy Chatot then turned to face his next option, Riley. Being the generous man that he was, Riley was attempting to assist Toby. However, since Riley was quite the boring man as well, Toby was hardly listening to any of his advice. Too bad…

"So… would Riley be able to give a good lecture?" Blathers asked. His question happened to be directed towards a random blade of grass in front of him. Obviously, he did not receive any reply.

"Hmm… Nope." The little bird decided. "So then… Oh!" he perked up at the sight of Knuckles, who was quietly meditating in the shade of a little tree.

"Ah, yes! Knuckles!" Blathers rubbed his wings together deviously. "He is _perfect_! Knuckles is _great_ at talking forever and ever, for irrationally _long _periods of time! So long, in fact, that even Professor _Oak_ would fall asleep!" he cheerfully informed his little blade of grass of the situation before heading off towards the unsuspecting Lucario.

oOoOoOo

"Hi! I'm Daisy!" An obnoxious voice called out.

Knuckles opened an eye but quickly closed it again at the sight of Blathers. Maybe if he ignored him…

"Did I _surprise_ you?" Blathers screeched loudly, flapping his wings wildly.

Knuckles sighed, breaking from his meditative stance and looking down at Blathers with a passive expression on his face. Maybe if he didn't say anything…

"Only kidding!" the Chatot laughed. "You already _knew _I was coming, didn't ya? Yup, you can sense it in your _feet_!"

Knuckles shook his head. There was _no _way anyone could avoid Blathers, it seemed. "Hmm… Yeah… My feet, huh? Sure… that's _exactly _why I have Aura receptors on the _back _of my head…"

"Yeah! Who needs _dreadlocks_ when you're got such wonderfully awesome _feet_!" Blathers exclaimed, hugging one of Knuckles' feet in joy.

"Yeah, thanks… but…" he pulled away from the crazy bird and quickly tucked both feet beneath his folded legs, "…could you leave me alone? I'm trying to meditate."

Blathers froze in place and gasped, full of utter shock and awe.

Knuckles looked back at him with a confused look on his face. But the Chatot remained frozen in place. "What?" he asked finally.

"Is this _really _Knuckles I hear?" Blathers cried, baffled. "No roaring? No crazy temper tantrum? No destruction? No evil laughter? No preying upon the weak and the helpless? What's _with _this sense and reason! It's utterly… preposterous!"

Knuckles sighed deeply. This time, the cause hardly stemmed from any annoyance with Blathers. Without raising his eyes, he answered. "I'm trying… to change. I don't ever want to lose control of my emotions… never again. That's why I'm trying to meditate. I think it will help me achieve balance…"

But Knuckles was abruptly cut off from his thoughts with the sound of Blathers screaming. The scream practically ripped out of his throat and intermittent sobs began to mingle with the incessant screech. The Lucario jumped up in shock, only to see Blathers backing away, still screaming. He whirled around to see that Rukario was approaching.

"It's… the Creature of the Deep!" Blathers wailed out in between his frantic sobs and shrieks. He ran away, tripping every now and again in his desperation, just like all of the frightened people from any typical horror movie. Some of the other nearby Pokémon looked up in alarm, but upon the realization that Blathers was the one causing all the racket, they quickly lost interest.

Knuckles quickly turned back around and meekly pretended to meditate, although it was most likely already too late for that now.

"Knuckles!"

Knuckles slowly looked up at the sound of his name. Upon gazing up into his father's disapproving eyes, he gave him a weak smile. "Hi… Dad… How's it… going…?"

Rukario scowled. "You know how I feel about you right now."

Knuckles winced. His father certainly didn't beat around the bush. "Yeah… I know… It's just… Listen to me. I was wrong. I know it. That's why I'm trying to…!" he stopped abruptly and covered his head once he noticed Rukario's claws had unsheathed.

"Rukario!"

The voice was familiar, but Knuckles didn't attempt to identify it at the moment. He was a bit more preoccupied with keeping his skin intact. But after a few moments, he started to wonder why his father hadn't attacked yet. He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to see that Rukario was actually distracted by whoever had spoken. He followed his father's gaze to see that Ki was approaching with Torchic.

"What do you want?" Rukario finally asked; his claws were still at the ready, though his posture had relaxed slightly.

"Give Knuckles a chance." The blind Lucario said softly.

Leaf's Lucario felt slightly shocked and definitely confused. Why would Ki bother to speak up for him? He hardly knew the Lucario.

Knuckles wanted to look up at his kinsman, but found himself looking at Torchic instead. Once her gaze landed on him, she flashed him the briefest and smallest of smiles, before hiding in the shadow of her friend.

Rukario huffed. "So now you're going to tell me how to discipline my own child? He's been needing some straightening out; I know that well enough! I certainly don't need someone with no experience of his own telling _me _what to do!"

"He's not perfect, Rukario, and neither are you."

Rukario snarled, readying his claws for Ki instead.

Ki, however, was unfazed. "I don't mean that as an offense to you personally. It's just a fact. I know well that I'm not perfect either. No one is." He looked over at Knuckles, and his expression softened. "Instead of dwelling in the negative; let's consider the positive for a moment. Your son is healthy, loyal, and strong. He makes mistakes, but he owns them. He doesn't give you excuses; he's trying to do better. What more can you ask for?"

He reached down and held out his arms for Torchic. Once she leapt up into his arms, he began to walk away. "Cherish what you have, Rukario. Don't allow a loving relationship to wither away and become lost forever…"

Knuckles stared after his kinsman, his mind buzzing. As the two drew further away, he began to wonder why he had never bothered to get to know this Lucario before.

Meanwhile, Rukario's claws had retracted. He stared at Knuckles sharply for a moment before turning and walking away.

Knuckles bit his lip and looked down at the ground. He then quickly inhaled and gathered up his courage. "Wait…!"

Rukario stopped but did not turn around.

"I'm… sorry… for everything."

A long pause ensued.

"You are a Lucario, Knuckles." Rukario began, his back still turned away. "You should be the master of your emotions. A master of Aura. Your conduct on that day you attempted to attack my master… and ultimately hit your own… was not that of a true Lucario. You became lost in your emotions, lost beyond recognition. It's disgraceful and utterly unacceptable."

"I've never regretted anything more in my entire life!" Knuckles cried out, jumping onto his feet. He could hardly bear the fact that his father still wouldn't face him. "I wish I could take back what I did that day, but I can't! I can only strive to do better, and that's what I'm going to do. But at the same time… I can't change myself either. My emotions are a source of my strength, and a major part of who I am. I will try to keep them in check, but I will never deny them entirely. Wild and erratic they may be, but I will only choose to keep their worst tendencies under control. The rest is too dear for me to lose entirely. It's a delicate balancing act… but I'm certain I can do it. Yes, I _know_ I can do it. I can and I will, for you and for Leaf. And for… myself as well."

At this, Rukario finally looked back. He turned around, watching Knuckles carefully for a moment. Eventually, his expression began to soften. "You're… just like your mother. I hardly understand you... but that doesn't mean I don't love you." He stopped, looking at the ground. Then he looked back up at his son, his expression somewhat warm. "Your strength is remarkable, but you must be careful of it. As you now know, it can be more of a detriment to you than an aid, if you aren't mindful of your actions… As long as you keep this in mind… I am content. …I wish you the best of luck with your meditations." And with that, Rukario gave him a single wave before turning back and heading off.

Knuckles stared after him a moment, his mind reeling. Eventually, he sat, contented that he had finally made his peace with his father. And with himself.

oOoOoOo

"Grovyle…!" Pikachu whined.

Grovyle jumped; apparently he hadn't noticed the Pikachu lying there only a few feet away from him, even though she had been there for over twenty minutes now. "H-what? What do you want?"

"I wanna talk…" Pikachu yawned. "…You've been actin' weird these days, and I wanna know why."

"Weird? Me? How am _I_ weird? I mean, I'm totally… you know… not… weird…"

"Yeah…"

An awkward pause ensued…

Grovyle slumped. "Just let me suffer in silence!"

"So you're suffering…" Pikachu nodded in understanding. "That's good… 'Cause, at first I thought you were just becoming stupid…"

Grovyle gave her a sidelong look. "Gee thanks."

"You're welcome." Pikachu shrugged off the expression of 'gratitude.' "So, you want to talk about it? That usually makes me feel better."

Grovyle sighed deeply, clearly faced with an intense internal struggle. He looked her in the eye. "So… if I tell you, will you just go off and tell everyone else all about my private problems?"

Pikachu paused, thoughtful. "…I might tell Mudkip." She decided.

"No!" Grovyle exclaimed. "You can't tell _anyone_! If you can't promise that, then I won't tell you a thing!"

"Oh, okay. Sure. I promise." She nodded, placing a paw over her heart. "So, what's the deal?"

The leafy lizard clasped his head with a hand. "I just know I'm going to regret telling you this…"

"Just tell me!" Pikachu urged.

"It's… well… you see…" Grovyle tapped his claws together, looking incredibly nervous. "I… think I might have… a crush on someone."

"A crush?" Pikachu repeated, shocked.

"… Do I really need to embarrass myself further by repeating myself?"

But the electric mouse ignored him, placing both her paws over her heart. "D'awww!"

"Yes, yes! Whatever!" he said quickly, trying to focus the Pikachu's thoughts. "Now listen! Here comes the part where I need _your_ help! You see, my problem lies with my nervousness… I get so nervous I can't even speak normally! Everything I say… Ugh! I'm just like Staraptor; all I can talk about is food! I wind up looking like a stupid idiot every time I try to talk to her!"

"D'awww! That's so _cute_!"

"Stop it!" Grovyle cried. "This is not some cutesy fanfiction romance! This is real, and this is serious! I need help! Help me think of a way to sound intelligent when I talk to her! She's a psychic type, after all… So I can't impress her if I'm babbling like Blathers! I need to sound like a smart Pokémon! Er… I mean, I _am _a smart Pokémon! I just need to show it."

"So you like a psychic type Pokémon?" Pikachu repeated, seemingly ignoring the rest of his monologue. "Who is she?"

"Just never mind that part!" Grovyle exclaimed, jumping in front of her so as to block her view of the others. "So let's just brainstorm together, why don't we?"

Pikachu easily dodged, looking around wildly for Grovyle's crush. Although, it was already completely obvious, given that there was only one female psychic Pokémon among them…

"Is it Absol?" she asked, after dodging Grovyle for the tenth time.

Grovyle balked. Was she really this senseless? "Uh… You know what? Yeah… it is Absol."

"Knew it!" Pikachu nodded proudly. "It's so obvious, you know!"

"Yeah… I bet it is…" Grovyle scratched his head. "So… any ideas for how I might be able to conquer my nerves?"

"Hmm…" Pikachu sat, her brow crinkled in thought. "Hey! I know! Just give her a present! Then you won't have to do much talking; she will! Because, of course, she'll have to thank you and then you can just stand there and look all cool and everything. This is what happens all the time in video games, you know! I found out from Blathers!"

"Blathers?" Grovyle repeated. "You're expecting me to believe some nonsense that came from Blathers?"

"No! It came from me! I just cited video games as an example!"

"But if your example isn't very strong, then how can I trust your idea?"

"Listen Grovyle! I'm a girl! Therefore, _I _know what girls like! So if_ I_ like the idea, then _all_ girls should too!"

Grovyle rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well… I suppose your logic sounds… relatively legitimate."

"Yep! It's as Blathers says… All Chatot are mortal. _I_ am mortal. Therefore, I am a Chatot!"

Grovyle stared at her. "But you're not a Chatot."

Pikachu shook her tiny fist. "You have to alter the formula, given the situation!"

The leafy lizard scratched his head once again. "Now I'm confused."

"Good!" Pikachu exclaimed. "Now go get a present! It's the _only _way to raise her heart gauge! Do it _now_!"

"Yes, ma'am!" he saluted and took off for the woods. It seemed easier to just follow her orders than it would be to try and figure out some kind of way to question all those inane logical formulas...

oOoOoOo

Blathers frantically washed his face in the stream. He had just seen the Creature of the Deep, and now, he needed to wash away the ugly features imprinted in his now-scarred-for-life mind. The Chatot was a delicate creature, after all.

"Mud… Kip!"

Blathers stopped everything, slowly looking up and staring. "Is that…?"

"Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

His eyes widened. "Eek! Like… Oh… My… Gosh…!"

"Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

"I relly liek deh Mudkipz!" Blathers screamed, flying over and crashing against the speaker in order to give him a huge hug.

Metagross smiled, happy to receive such a warm welcome. "Wow, all I had to do was act liek a Mudkip in order to get moar fanz!"

And so he continued his chant. "Mud… Kip! Mud… Kip!"

From his spot in the mud, Mudkip looked over at them and grinned. "I relly liek imposterz!"

oOoOoOo

Vegeta strained his arm, trying to reach his water cannon. Here he was, in the most beautiful of pure water ponds, trying to wash away yesterday's grime. Granted, he wasn't all _that_ filthy, but he really needed to reach his water cannons; they had become quite muddy from that battle he had had this morning with a powerful Swampert. Of course, Vegeta had won that battle effortlessly. How could you expect any less from a true Saiyan elite?

"Would you like some help, Vegeta?" a sweet voice asked.

"Popuri!" he smiled at the little cotton bird. "Thank you so much…"

"Of course!" She giggled.

The little Swablu easily took care of the offending mud. With her expertise, it took but mere minutes. Once finished with the task, she cleaned off her pretty wings in the sparkling water.

Vegeta relaxed, lying blissfully on his stomach in the cool and refreshing pond. Popuri floated in the water before him, just like the loveliest of ducks.

"Oh, Popuri…" Vegeta breathed. "You always know how to help…"

She smiled, shrugging softly. "What can I say? I love to clean!"

"And so modest too… What a beautiful Pokémon you are…"

"You really think I'm beautiful?" She asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Noooooo! How _dare _you go after my sweetheart!" Blathers shrieked. He appeared out of nowhere, slammed into Vegeta's face, and prepared to explode, just like a flying Voltorb. "CrazyCleanShipping For… The… Wiiiiin!"

BOOM!

Vegeta awoke with a start. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. 'What a dream…'

He glanced over at Popuri and was not surprised to see her talking animatedly with Salamence. In the deepest regions of his heart, Vegeta felt the smallest of pangs...

"Hey, I support CleanCannonShipping." A voice declared from out of nowhere.

Vegeta looked to the shore of the river and recognized the voice to be that of Pinsir. "What? Where did you come from?" he asked.

"Nowhere… and everywhere at the same time…" Ursaring explained, standing beside his friend.

"Okay… That's not creepy…"

"Relax." Pinsir waved him off. "We were only discussing our favorite shippings! So why can't you just mind your own business, huh?"

"Oh, of course. That's right, boys. Mondo cool..." And with that, Vegeta retreated underwater.

oOoOoOo

"Hey, Ki? What level do you suppose you're at now?"

Ki turned to his friend, who was looking up at him earnestly. "I think I might be somewhere between fifty or sixty by now…"

"You think…? Why don't you know?"

"Toby never kept track, and I certainly didn't either." He shrugged. "I don't think it's especially important. I've been his Pokémon for a long time now, as long as I can remember, really, so it goes without saying that we've trained together quite a lot. When it comes to battling… I'm fairly confident I can hold my own against most things that come my way. That's all I really need."

"You are strong." Torchic admitted. "But I have to say, I haven't seen you battle all that often."

"Battling isn't really one of my favorite things to do."

"You're so lucky… to have had Toby as your Trainer…"

"…Yes… I am…" he answered slowly, watching her Aura carefully.

"The fact that he accepts you for who you are… even though you aren't the ideal Pokémon… I wish my old Trainer had been that way…"

"What is this?" Ki smiled, tilting his head to the side to indicate his confusion. "The ideal Pokémon? Does that even exist?"

"No… it doesn't…" Torchic regarded the river, but her gaze looked rather distant.

Ki reached out and ruffled her head, breaking her out of her thoughts. "We're fine the way we are, and besides, Toby is _your_ Trainer now too. There's no need to start doubting yourself anymore."

"Yeah, you're right…"

"So then, Torchic… could I ask you what your level is?"

"My level? It's 35."

"That's not bad. Not bad at all." He paused, thoughtful. "Wait a moment… You've already passed the level you would need to become a Combusken, haven't you? Yes, I'm sure you have! And… the more I think on it… Yes! You're nearly at the level where you could possibly become a Blaziken, even!"

Her head lowered. "Yeah…"

The blind Lucario blinked. Was he stepping on unwanted territory? "Torchic…? Do you want to evolve?"

She said nothing.

He waited, but still she remained silent. Her Aura was nearly bursting with conflicting energies, so much so that Ki could hardly make sense of what she was feeling. "If you don't want to evolve… that is perfectly fine. No one will fault you for wanting to stay as you are… But if you do want to evolve…" he paused, waiting for her reaction.

She did not speak; her face was directed to the ground. Her Aura remained conflicted.

"How have you been able to avoid evolution all this time? Has Toby startled you? No… now that I think on it, you've never even glowed once. It's almost as if you're holding an Everstone…But you can't be, can you? I've never seen it at least…" he paused once again. "Torchic? Is this subject… too much for you right now? If it is, you certainly don't have to answer any of my questions. Let's talk about something else, hmm? How about it?"

"No…" She finally lifted her head, looking directly at his unseeing eyes. "Ki… there is a reason… why I haven't evolved…"

He nodded, silently allowing her to continue unperturbed.

"I… ate an Everstone."

He jumped, startled. His eyes blinked rapidly. "You… ate… a Stone? You _swallowed _it?"

"Yeah… it probably wasn't the best of ideas… It was… an act of rebellion on my part. You see, my Trainer wanted nothing more than for me to evolve. He said it'd be the only way for me to become powerful. My current state was nothing more than garbage to him. So, when I saw it, an Everstone, I ate it. I practically choked on it, but I managed to do it. I had to. I knew if I tried to keep it somewhere, to hide it, he would certainly find it. So, I… made it a more permanent part of myself. He'd have to kill me to get it back. That's… why he left me actually… I wasn't any good to him anymore."

Ki paused, taking it all in. He then hesitated, trying to think of the most appropriate way to word his next question. "So… ah… that was a long while ago, wasn't it? Maybe… eventually… the Stone will… ah… pass through… your… er… system?"

"I guess…" she shrugged. "But I think it'll take a _really_ long time for it to get digested…"

Ki coughed. "Ah, yes. Well, maybe someday then?"

"Maybe." She smiled, looking up at him earnestly. "Would you like to see me as a Blaziken?"

"It doesn't matter what you look like… especially not to me, the blind Lucario." He chuckled. He ruffled her head again to ease her sheepish apologies. "No need for apologies; I know what you meant to say… As it stands, I'll be happy if you decide to evolve, but only if that's what _you _want."

oOoOoOo

Notes: My brother actually gave me the idea for that dream involving Vegeta and Popuri. I was talking with him ages ago about how funny it would be if they liked each other, and there you go.

And yes! I've got another dream lined up for you next, so watch out! XD

Thanks for reading and for all of your feedback!


	77. Chapter 77: Escaping Total Control

I think I should start by saying that this chapter begins with a dream sequence… It's quite a long one, so I figured I'd give you a heads-up beforehand.

Well, let's give it a go!

oOoOoOo

"We're dealing with a very dangerous criminal." Salamence said gravely.

Espio swallowed nervously. They were in the very heart of danger now. This was the hub, the center of all activity. She knew there would not be any backing down from here on out.

"We still haven't acquired any precise indications of the scope of the technology under his control… though we all know full well of what horrors he is capable of, considering our past experiences with this man…" Salamence continued. He pushed aside several files and presented two discs. "So we have a choice. Each of these discs can be adapted to suit the situation, but I'm quite certain this one here won't need any adjustment at all. It's the strongest device we have. It'll completely wipe out everything, of that I'm most certain. It will also, unfortunately, wipe out any possible insight we might gather from looking into and examining his operations... The man is a genius after all; perhaps we might be able to learn a thing or two from him. To be honest, I often wonder… how_ is _he able to program such powerful systems? Therefore…"

Salamence placed the larger of the two discs on the desk before him. "I suggest we use this one. It's far less powerful, but we can modify it to counteract all of his defenses. It won't erase everything, so we will still be able to gather some precious information. But I won't make a decision without first considering all of your opinions. Which option do _you_ think we should take?"

The other Pokémon mumbled softly amongst themselves.

"I think we should go with your idea, Salamence." Popuri agreed. "I'm eager to see what we can find out. Besides, I'm certain we can handle anything he tries to throw at us."

The others seemed to murmur in agreement. Their murmurs gradually grew stronger, as the rest of them each took their turns to voice their own, very similar convictions as well. Espio looked around nervously. Were they all going to agree with this plan?

"Agreed!" Grovyle nodded with conviction. "I think that's the best way to go."

"No! We _can't _do this!" Espio broke in, her voice shaking. "This guy is a _criminal_! He's horrible! He's-he's capable of _anything_! We've seen it before! We have to wipe him out _now_ with _everything _we have! If we've got enough power to stop him, then we need to use it _all_! There's no telling what might happen if he overrides your modifications! We have to hit him with _everything _we've got while we still can!"

"I think you might be over-reacting a little…" Salamence pointed out smoothly. "He has no idea we're coming after him, especially not from here. He'll never suspect it."

"Ah! That's right!" Pikachu exclaimed. The others hummed in agreement.

"Alright, so… are the majority of us in favor of using the less powerful disc?" Salamence inquired.

All nodded while Espio held her breath.

Salamence moved to the control panel while several others followed and resumed their own stations. "Alright… Let's give this a spin…" he muttered as he inserted the disc into the nearest slot.

As soon as he did so, the main screen upon the wall just above him flashed. Tiny bits of lights, numbers, and random samples of text coalesced to form a man's face.

"dO yoU ReaLLy thInK YoU cAn StOP mE?" an interplay of random bits of voice segments seemed to meld together to produce the question.

Far worse was the laughter that sounded out afterwards; it seemed to come from all over, from a large variety of recorded laughs collected from anywhere and everywhere. It felt as if a thousand different people were all laughing together all at once.

"THis pLaCe iS MIne! HeRE, i _alWaYS_ conTROL _EVerYthinG_!"

"Hurry!" Salamence was relaying commands to the others while rapidly typing (with his totally awesome claws!) on his own panel. "It's too much! We're starting to lose control!"

"Put in the powerful disc!" Popuri screamed.

"I can't! All of the slots have sealed themselves up…!" Salamence cried, searching once again in vain. "We'll have to manually override!"

"I _told _you!" Espio shrieked, beside herself with fear and helplessness. She didn't even care that she was losing her composure and that they were all too busy at the moment to even notice anything she was saying. "We should have taken him out with everything we had _while we had the chance_!"

Just then, the speakers and lights blew out, causing that freakish laughter to finally die. But that calm was short-lived…

Sparks and random lights began flashing wildly, issuing forth from any and all the monitors and panels around them. The drawers of the desk flew open on their own, sending papers flying everywhere. The glass from the monitors began smashing of their own accord…

"I didn't sign up for this! I'm not going to stay here and get myself killed just because you all refused to listen to me! I'm_ out_ of here!"

Espio threw aside all thoughts of abandoning her coworkers and bolted. The doors at the end of the room were beginning to seal up, but she managed to slip past one of them before it closed up completely. But she didn't feel much safer in this next room.

It looked to be a kitchen of some sort, but in its present state, it was anything but inviting. The oven was ablaze, and cupboards were flying open just to allow a stream of dishes to rain down and smash themselves against the floor. However, upon Espio's arrival, the dishes started to have other ideas...

She knew the mastermind behind all of this wasn't exaggerating when the dishes started to fly over towards her. He really did have control of this entire place…

She ran blindly for the door as a flurry of dishes showered down upon her. However, just before she could reach it, the door slammed shut in her face. She fumbled with the knob, even though a resounding click told her it was already locked. She began to beat against it using her Psychic attacks but to no avail. The door was solid and locked in place. At this point, the dishes had run out; the floor was bathed in glass.

Espio whirled around at the sound of something humming. The microwave was hovering just above her head, its door snapping like jaws. She ducked and ran just as it decided to lunge for her. Hindered by its own electrical cord, it was unable to follow her as she dashed over into the adjoining dining room. There, the chairs were floating about, just waiting for the best moment to charge at her. Deciding to use the table as a sort of defense, she scampered beneath it, trying to reach the final door before it could close and lock itself.

She was too late. The door chose to shut just before she could reach it, as if it were taunting her. Beside the door, however, she noticed a glass window, rather thin, but just as long as the height of the door. If she could smash it…

Backing up to prepare a charge, Espio ran for the glass, smashing her full weight against it. She managed to smash it just enough to get though if she squirmed past.

This next room was, thankfully, nothing but a long hallway. The entry way leading to the room she had just broke away from was lined with lively green houseplants, which seemed harmless enough, at first. Espio half-expected the pots to come to life and try to crash into her, but this was not the case.

Upon her arrival, the plants themselves sprang to life, growing rapidly into long, spindly, wild, and free-moving vines. She sprinted for the safety of the hall just as they sprang upon her. One managed to catch her leg, and it pulled, trying to force her back to them. She twisted and tugged, finally managing to pull free.

From there, not wasting a single second, she dashed down the hall. Just ahead, a set of small windows lined the wall. They were opening and closing rapidly. Just as soon as she approached, each one closed up and locked themselves.

"Let me _out_!" Espio cried desperately. She sent Psychic attack after Psychic attack at the closest one, trying to smash it open. But the window was not as weak as that glass beside the last door. She couldn't charge against it either; it was just too high.

Just to taunt her, the windows beside her began to open and close themselves again. She didn't bother to chase after them; she knew they would simply seal up at just the right moment. However, one window quickly caught her interest when it became stuck. She pounced upon it, wasting no time in forcing it open entirely. She then carefully climbed out, feet first, to realize that she could not reach any place to secure her feet. No ledge, no little deformation in the wall; everything felt perfectly smooth.

She glanced over her shoulder to check. This was the second floor, so the ground was still quite a ways down. She couldn't look for very long; it made her feel sick and her muscles, weak. She instead intently studied the wall; there had to be a way down.

There it was! A ledge, just above the window on the first floor. She just _had_ to reach it.

Espio carefully lowered herself, so that she was only supported by her fingers holding on to the windowsill. She stretched her limbs, trying to reach that ledge before her grip would give out. But she couldn't… It was simply too far.

Her arms began to shake from the muscle strain. She wasn't used to supporting her entire weight with only her forepaws... But then she felt it, just a tiny touch on her toes.

She let go, hoping that that was enough. She let out a scream once the back of her foot leaned on the empty air. The ledge was far smaller than she had realized.

Her feet fell past it; her paws grasped wildly for something, anything to cling on to. She managed to grasp the ledge with one of her paws, but the momentum from the rest of her body was too great.

She fell to the ground in a heap. She laid still a moment, if only for the pain and dizziness to wear off. But she quickly remembered the gravity of the situation and ran off, wildly and with no actual destination in mind; she just wanted to get out of there.

She ran straight through the surrounding parking lot, only feeling relief at the sight of a thick forest beyond. It would be easy to hide there. She started to head for it; however, a solitary figure caught her eye.

She hurried towards it, if only to warn whoever it was to stay away from the building. Upon closer inspection, she was surprised to see that the Pokémon before her was a Lucario clad in camouflage uniform. He had to be a member of the military.

'The military…' she stared at him in shock. 'So this actually _was _as serious as I suspected…!'

Finally taking notice of the Pokémon standing there gawking at him, Knuckles waved for Espio to stand behind him, out of the way. "Wait over there. We're going to be evacuating everyone in a few minutes. So be ready."

Espio nodded wordlessly and moved to stand where he indicated. As they waited, she watched the sun dip down beneath the trees. The sky was a brilliant orange once a small crowd started to form nearby, shepherded by another member of the military squad, Rukario.

After a few moments, Knuckles called everyone to attention and moved to lead the way. Espio followed the crowd, relieved yet still a bit anxious. She gazed at Knuckles, trying to gauge his feelings on the situation. But his face was impassive; he merely stared forward, intent on traversing his path. He didn't even seem to notice her staring at him. Well, if he did notice, then he was apparently quite good at pretending he didn't.

So focused was she on this Lucario that she only just now became aware of the fact that they were currently walking inside the compound. The ceilings were high and the hallway wide; no furniture, doors, or windows were in sight.

Espio froze in place, her heart racing.

Nothing seemed to be amiss in the slightest, but nonetheless, they were still needlessly traversing a very dangerous area… Just what were they doing back inside the place? Why would the military lead everyone back in here?

Several others in the crowd passed by her still form, giving her strange looks. Eventually the entire throng passed, and she was left with the rear guard, Rukario.

"What are you doing?" he asked gruffly. "Keep moving."

"We're-no!" she sputtered, grasping for words. "We're heading right back into danger! Why are we-!"

He placed a paw on her shoulder. "Calm down. This is the only way to head on out of here. Just stick close to us, and you'll be fine. Our comrades have the area secure, but only for the time being. Just keep moving."

"No!" she jerked away. "We're just going to get stuck here, and I won't have it! I _won't _let myself get trapped here! We have to-I've got to get _out _of here! I can't-I _won't_ get killed by a madman!"

As she said this, another crowd approached and began to move past them. Rukario's form seemed to melt away into the swarm of Pokémon. But Espio only saw this as an opportunity to escape him.

She ran in the opposite direction of the throng, a colorful mass that seemed to get blurrier by the second. Driven by her urgency and fear, she dashed along the wide hallway, her heart leaping as she caught sight of the light of day once again.

She could see it. The door!

It was made of glass, a large sliding door. The morning sun was shining through, which was weird… since she knew it was evening… but Espio couldn't care less about that now. She was a moment's away from freedom!

But it wasn't meant to be. She pushed the door with all her might, but it refused to open. Frustrated, Espio slammed it over and over again with her Psychic type attacks, trying to break it open.

As she assaulted it, she became aware of the fact that her vision was failing. She paused in her attacks and squinted, trying to focus. Everything was so blurry…

Espio's head was spinning; no, the whole world was spinning. She couldn't make sense of it anymore.

Her head swirling, the psychic type Pokémon pressed her paws against the door to steady herself, but her knees were giving way…

She hit the ground with a thud.

Heart pounding, Espio awoke with a gasp. She looked around wildly, only to find that she was lying in the grass next to Absol, who was eying her with a curious look.

"You alright?" the dark type questioned. "Did you maybe have a nightmare…?"

"I don't remember dozing off… but yes… I think I did…" Espio replied faintly. She relaxed her muscles, trying to calm down.

"You've actually been asleep for quite a while now, so I wouldn't be too surprised that you started dreaming… So what was it about?"

"Well… it was just awful! I don't usually have nightmares, and that one… it was so real!"

Absol nodded apologetically. "Let me guess… you dreamt about Blathers?"

Espio blinked. "Well, no… but…"

Just then, Grovyle leapt down from the tree the two were seated under, startling them both. He smiled weakly, holding up what looked to be an unconscious Weedle.

"Hi, uh… ladies…!" he began, holding up the half-dead Weedle even higher. "I, uh… Well, I, uh… Yeah… I brought you dinner, Espio!"

He lowered his catch, holding it close to Espio's bewildered face. She stared at it, too shocked and disgusted to even speak.

The Weedle was lying limp in his hand. The creature's mouth was still open, its tongue lolling out to the side, and its eyes were actually replaced with comical-looking X's.

"You love it, right?" Grovyle asked eagerly, smiling broadly.

Espio continued to gaze at it in horror, just barely resisting the urge to gag.

"She hates it…" the Grovyle frowned, looking towards Absol for help. "Why does she hate it?"

Absol was staring at the half-alive Pokémon as well, but she broke out of her trance at the question. She thoughtfully glanced at Espio before forming her response. "Well… I think she only likes to eat food that's been killed first. Either that, or… she's a vegetarian."

"Vegetarian?" Grovyle repeated, confused. "What's that?"

"Hey Absol!" Pikachu screamed, choosing this moment to jump out from behind a bush. "Grovyle _loooooves _you!"

Absol glanced over at the Pikachu with slight surprise and then looked back at Grovyle, her expression revealing a hint of disgust.

At this, Espio finally broke out of her stupor, looking at the green lizard before her with confusion and slight anger. "If you like _her_, then why are you trying to give _me_-?"

"Oh no, no, no, no!" Grovyle exclaimed, frantically waving around his free arm. "It's _not _like that!"

"Then how _is_ it, then?" Espio countered, her eyes narrowing. "Just _what _are you trying to pull here, Grovyle?"

Absol mirrored her friend's position, glaring at the grass type Pokémon. "Explain yourself!"

Grovyle laughed nervously, cautiously backing away from the potentially dangerous duo. "Well… uh… it's like this, you see…"

Luckily for him, Staraptor happened to be lurking about in the nearby brush, waiting for the perfect opportunity to nab a tasty treat. He wanted that Weedle, and he was ready to use any means to take it…

Seizing the chance, the giant, obese bird lunged, breaking any and all brush branches in his path.

Absol and Espio, who both happened to be facing the hunger-crazed bird, froze in place at the sight. That bird was… a humongous monster!

Staraptor chomped down on the Weedle's limp body, inadvertently causing the bug Pokémon to spring back to consciousness. Upon waking, the Weedle jumped up and shrieked, causing both Grovyle and Staraptor to lose their grips on the poisonous bug.

Chaos ensued.

As both Grovyle and Staraptor fought wildly for their claims on the bug's meat, the Weedle thrashed and attacked, doing whatever he could to keep himself alive.

Absol and Espio, for their parts, just watched in horror at the crazy brutality. Within minutes, however, the two needed to run off for cover, seeing as the brawl was starting to head over in their direction.

"This is definitely getting out of hand!" Espio cried out, glancing over her shoulder.

"Want to rectify it?" Absol asked, a small smirk on her face.

"Let's!"

Absol whirled back around, skidding to a halt. After a brief pause to steady her aim, the dark type launched several Night Slashes with a practiced toss of her head. The dark energy flew out from her sickle, striking through the air before hitting her targets, Grovyle and Staraptor.

Caught entirely unaware by the sudden and unexpected attack, the two were sent reeling, just long enough for Espio to step in. Using her Psychic attack, the Espeon was able to encapsulate the poor Weedle in a ball of psychic energy. With her careful guidance, the ball of energy flew off for the safety of the nearby forest. From there, she released the psychic power, allowing the Weedle to freely wander, or more accurately, flee the scene with all his might.

Shaking off his pain, Staraptor looked around wildly for his prey. To his immense disappointment, the Weedle was nowhere in sight. "What- where'd my snack go?"

"_Your _snack?" Grovyle cried out in indignation, struggling to pull himself out from under Staraptor's massive rear end. "_I_ was the one who caught it! And it was _supposed _to be a present! You _ruined _it!"

"I'll find it first!" Staraptor shrieked, entirely ignoring the grass lizard's words. He immediately took to the skies, while Grovyle followed him on foot, shouting and shaking his fist at the giant bird all the while.

Espio gazed after them. She was just about to comment on their stupidity when another sight caught her eye. "Hey…? Why's everyone starting to gather around Leaf?"

"Hmm…" Absol paused, thoughtfully gazing in that direction. "Maybe she's found out some information… regarding our adversaries…?"

"Maybe." The Espeon shrugged, stepping forward. "There's only one way to find out, I suppose."

oOoOoOo

NOTES: And so that concludes the last Pokécentric chapter for a while. This particular one turned out to become really long really fast, but the next few chapters will be more eventful. This is basically the calm before the storm, if you will.

Oh, and I should point out that Espio's nightmare was actually based off one of my own (and of course, my actual nightmare didn't have any Pokémon in it; it was all people XD). Anyway, I want to thank lupyne for getting me to realize that it would make for some good inspiration for a bit of horror. So thank you!

And I remembered that a few reviewers had asked for more variety in the amount of dreamers I've had so far, so I figured that placing Espio in it would make for a good mix.

So… I guess you could now say that Espio and I have a bit more in common than just our nicknames...

Ah, and please check out my poll if you get the chance. I'll be needing your answers fairly soon though, since it has to do with something regarding events in one of the next few chapters or so. So please vote quickly if you want to get your voice heard.

Anyway, thanks for the support everyone!


	78. Chapter 78: To the Painted Rocks!

Leaf softly closed her laptop, her mind reeling. All the documents she had gone through… suddenly, every single one of Team Galactic's actions up to this point made perfect sense now.

She hesitated, glancing up at her friends. Apparently the two were fishing, laughing together and having a good time. She hated to ruin the moment, but the situation called for it, demanded it.

"Hey guys…!" she tried to call out, but her voice seemed to crack too much to carry far enough to reach them. She rose, carefully making her way over to them. "Toby… Riley… I really need to talk with you both."

"What's wrong?" Riley looked up, immediately concerned.

"You remember those documents I took from Team Galactic's computer? Well, I just finished reading through them… and things… really aren't looking so good."

"What did you find out?"

Leaf heaved a sigh before turning back to them. "Remember back when we met with Professor Carolina? How we discussed the ancient people who were thought to have summoned the legendary Pokémon, Dialga and Palkia? Well… I think these Pokémon are about to be summoned again."

"You're saying Team Galactic wants to try to summon Dialga and Palkia?" Riley exclaimed, stunned. "But how?"

"Oh, that's exactly what I'm saying…" Leaf clasped her head in her hands and began to pace. "And it gets even worse…"

"Leaf…" he said calmly, rising and gently guiding her to sit beside them. "Relax a moment and just explain. We'll figure out where to go from there together. But for now, please, just focus on piecing together the entire picture for us."

"Okay… sure."

Shortly after she had seated herself, Knuckles joined them, eyeing Leaf curiously. The four of them jumped when a waterlogged Vegeta rose out from the river and plopped himself on the riverbank just ahead of them. Even Pikachu made her way over, tilting her head to the side in obvious confusion.

"Well…" Leaf began, looking at her hands a moment to gather her thoughts before looking up and continuing. "It turns out Team Galactic had recovered a lot of ancient texts based on old Sinnoh myths. What was once thought to be only legends, they believe to be absolutely true. In fact, one of these texts they found actually detailed the necessary arrangements required to summon the two legendary beings of Time and Space.

"And these arrangements call for the possession of both the Lustrous and Adamant orbs. As we know, Team Galactic has both of these orbs in their possession already. In addition to that, it's said that the Pokémon can only be summoned at one of the highest points in all of Sinnoh, Spear Pillar."

"Spear Pillar?" Riley repeated, taken aback. "It actually exists? Where is it?"

"The exact coordinates weren't listed in any of the documents..." Leaf frowned. "I bet the computer would have needed a higher security clearance for that. But I can confirm that the Team Galactic commanders know _exactly_ where it is, and they're heading there today… right now…! We've _got _to stop them, but I have no idea how! Where can we even start?"

"Leaf." Riley placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "We'll figure this out. Don't worry. But first we need to finish thinking this through. This is one of those instances where we can't just rush in without thinking first."

"Oh, believe me; even with the best of plans, I'm not so sure we can put an end to any of this… Do you really think we can do anything?"

"Maybe." he said firmly. "If not, we'll inform the police. This is something they'll be able to…"

Leaf shook her head. "They aren't going to believe me. Riley, Team Galactic grunts have stolen Pokémon right underneath their noses! You've said it yourself, just how seriously are they going to take stolen evidence?"

"Leaf, we'll… we'll figure something out."

"And if we don't?"

"We have to try." He said seriously, looking her directly in the eye.

She gazed back at him a moment before turning to look over the growing crowd of Pokémon around them. Many of them looked rather confused, having just arrived, while the others gazed back at her with determined expressions. They looked to be willing to do whatever it took.

"Yes! Try together! Everyone!" Toby echoed, nodding at several of the Pokémon.

"Now, if I could ask another question," Riley continued, moving them back on track, "did you discover what Team Galactic is planning to do once they summon the Legendries? I'm assuming they want to capture them and use their powers to bring the world as we know it to its knees…?"

"Yes. In part." Leaf answered, grimacing. "Though, it's much worse than you might think. Team Galactic definitely plans to capture Dialga and Palkia, but Cyrus wants to do so _without_ using any sort of Pokéball."

Riley blinked rapidly while Toby looked downright baffled. "H-how? How can you capture a Pokémon without using a Pokéball?"

"In Cyrus' eyes," Leaf continued, shaking her head in disgust and slight disbelief, "capturing a Pokémon in a Pokéball diminishes its power. He wants to control the Pokémon with every bit of its powers and glory intact. To do this, he is going to use something known as the Red Chain.

"The Red Chain…" she explained grimly, her expression downcast, "was created from the red crystals found on Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie's tails and foreheads. Team Galactic's crazy scientists tore apart the innocent Pokémon's bodies to take these crystals and use them for Cyrus' insane plan to take over the world…"

Leaf abruptly slammed her clenched fist against the ground. "He's going to shackle Dialga and Palkia to the earth and force them to do his bidding using Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie's power!" she exclaimed, suddenly beside herself. "And we can't do _anything _about it since we don't even know where Spear Pillar even is!"

Her words met silence. The entire group, people and Pokémon alike, was dumbstruck.

"_Blasphemy_!" Blathers suddenly shrieked, breaking the silence apart with a sledge hammer. "Cyrus _stole_ _my _plan! _I _was supposed to be the one to conquer the earth, not him! I call copyright infringement on this! It's utterly _ridiculous_! I can't believe it! You painstakingly formulate the _perfect plan all night and all day long _just to have a bunch of _freaks _like _him _swoop in and copy it! What the _FORK_?"

Clamping the bird's beak shut with her thumb and forefinger, Leaf turned to Riley. "_What_ are we going to do about this?"

Riley sighed heavily. "We have to find Spear Pillar."

"_How_?"

"Well, I don't know for certain, but surely, we can narrow it down." He answered thoughtfully, placing a hand on his chin. "For starters, it must be somewhere within Mt. Coronet…"

"And Mt. Coronet is _how many _miles long?" Leaf broke in, trying to jolt him back to reality. "It'd take us _days _to search it! And Cyrus is heading up there _today_!"

"Well," he continued, looking at her carefully, "the closer you get to Snowpoint City, the higher the mountains become. There's a reason why skiing is such a huge attraction for the area."

"Then we head north…?" she asked, brightening.

"Yes. And the sooner, the better!" he declared, locking gazes with Salamence.

"Ahh…" Toby looked rather pained. "Why get rid of winter coat earlier? Such stupid idea…"

oOoOoOo

"We'll land here!" Riley called out to Toby.

"Why here?" Leaf asked, daring herself to look down below. "Why don't we just have Salamence and Staraptor fly up around the peaks of the mountains until we find the highest one?"

"I don't think the Pokémon can handle that." Riley shook his head. "Besides, I don't believe Team Galactic will come in that way either. There's bound to be a path leading up to Spear Pillar within the mazes of the caves. And knowing Team Galactic, they'll surely highlight it somehow. If we can manage to find and follow their path, I'm sure we can make it."

"Let's hope so…"

Before Salamence could even touch the ground, Knuckles' Pokéball burst open all on its own, releasing him. The Lucario easily rolled, springing to his feet at the same time Salamence landed on the surface.

"Knuckles…" Leaf said warningly, clasping her heart from the suspense of having watched all of that. "Don't. Ever. Do that again."

Knuckles merely nodded and eagerly held out his arms to catch her, truly expecting that she was going to jump off Salamence this time too. But to his immense disappointment, Leaf instead took Riley's hand and climbed down herself.

"Aaaah!" Toby yelled. "Knuckles! Run away!"

Apparently, Staraptor was coming in for a landing. A crash landing.

Knuckles yelled out in pain once a massive bird beak chomped down on one of his legs. Infuriated, he decided to resolve matters the way he usually did when dealing with obnoxious Pokémon. He wrestled them.

Staraptor, for his part, was pretty fat, so it could have been easy for him to crush Knuckles simply using his own sheer body weight. However, since bird actually hadn't ever wrestled anyone in his entire life before, he honestly didn't know how to react. And well, having wrestled Grovyle once before, Knuckles clearly had the advantage here. He immediately went for the throat, barely managing to wrap an arm around the flab that was Staraptor's neck.

"Agh! Knuckles! What are you doing?" Leaf exclaimed as Staraptor began to thrash and gasp wildly for air. She started to take a step towards them, but Riley, fearing for her life, held her back.

Toby sat up and shook his head wildly, finally having recovered from Staraptor's crash landing. "Oops…!" he quickly pulled out the Pokéball and recalled his shrieking bird, leaving Knuckles empty-handed.

After huffing over being denied his payback, Knuckles examined his leg, wincing at the bite marks.

"Whoa…" Leaf bent down to look as well. "Geez… I didn't know your Staraptor had teeth… He doesn't have rabies or anything… right…?"

"Rabies is what?" Toby wondered sheepishly.

"It… wouldn't hurt to spray the wound with a Hyper Potion…" Riley advised, wincing slightly. "And Toby, I really think you should… get some help for Staraptor… I think his eating habits may be getting to be a bit… out of control."

"Who help?" Toby inquired, looking baffled. "Find good chef?"

"I'll look into it…" Riley assured him, though he shook his head slightly in disbelief. If Staraptor was willing to attempt to eat a Steel type Pokémon, and a fairly large one at that, then his appetite was definitely getting to be out of hand… It certainly wouldn't be easy to get a Pokémon like that on a simple diet plan…

"There! That takes care of that!" Leaf declared, tucking away the last of the Hyper Potion and helping Knuckles to his feet. "Now let's get started on this plan of yours, Riley!"

"Uh…" Toby scratched his head sheepishly, "Plan is what? Forgot already…"

"We're going to split up to search for a possible path to Spear Pillar." Riley explained, patient as usual. "Since each of us has a Lucario, it will be easy to meet up again every few hours or so to check up on everybody. And with each of our flying Pokémon searching about as well, I'm certain that one of us will find something sooner or later."

"And if _you _happen to find anything out of the ordinary, like a secret passageway or something, just have Ki roar _really_ loudly." Leaf added. "And if you hear any of our Pokémon making an uproar, then that's your cue to have Ki track and follow that Pokémon. I'm sure the echoes will hold up quite well in these caves, so it should be easy enough to hear any screaming Pokémon."

"Ohhhh…" Toby nodded in understanding. "Very fun!"

"No!" Leaf exclaimed angrily. "Not _fun_! This is _work_, Toby! _Work_! Treat it _seriously_!"

"Seriously. Okay." He agreed, rubbing the back of his head anxiously. In truth, he had no idea what the words 'seriously' and 'work' even meant, but he was afraid to ask, given that everyone was probably already annoyed with him for Staraptor's earlier behavior. "Ki is good at roar… yes?"

oOoOoOo

"Flying… Searching… Searching… Scanning… Flying… No data detected… eeeeeep-erk-brzzt! Oh crapperdoodles! My own beak is malfunctioning already!"

So Blathers was excruciatingly bored. Searching, scanning, flying, and gathering data was beyond monotonous for him. So he was jabbering nonstop in an effort to keep himself amused. But it was hardly working.

"Hurp-a-derp-derp!" the Chatot continued, crossing his eyes. "Where's the awesome sauce, duuuudes? I'm hungry for Poffins_ dripping_ with AWESOME! YESH!"

"Huuuu-_whaaaat_?" Blathers suddenly exclaimed, abruptly landing on solid ground and gazing at a rather strange sight. Yes, strange even for him.

Just ahead of him, a bunch of rocks were scattered about a large gap leading deeper into the cave. These rocks weren't just ordinary stones though; it seemed as if many of them had been painted.

Blathers stared at these painted rocks a good long while, his good eye wide as a saucer. Finally he hopped closer, his widened eye less than an inch away from the nearest rock. Then he hopped away to another rock, experimentally pecking it just like an ordinary wild bird Pokémon might do. Only… the typical wild bird usually pecks at something… far softer… like grass.

Blathers squealed, covering his beak with his wings. His eyes watered from the pain. "Sheesh… Dish is why I'm _not _an ordinary bird…!" Despite his pain, he was still able to blather away anyway. It seemed nothing could stop his mouth.

"But anyway!" he exclaimed, pain already forgotten. "Identification complete! It turns out… these ROCKS are _not _fossils…!"

"Blam… And I was feeling a pretty powerful lecture comin' on too…" the Chatot sighed, disappointed. He loved spreading knowledge about fossils whenever he could… Well, usually anyway.

"So then! The _real _identity of these rocks!" Blathers cried out dramatically. If the cave wasn't entirely empty, you'd assume he was putting on quite the show for all the wild Pokémon out there. But well, with the obvious lack of an audience, it seemed he actually wasn't doing any of this for attention. He was just weird.

"They must be ART!" he screamed.

The bird was met with a ringing silence. No one was around.

"But _this _art!" the Chatot continued, whirling around and pointing at it pointedly. "Has been violated by the Saiya people!

"Oh, why wouldthey do this to Freezer? How could they do it!" Blathers sobbed, curling up next to the destroyed art. "How could they attack the poor, defenseless, helpless _ART_? All it ever did was look pretty! And now, it's been _struck down_ in the prime of its youth!

"Er… I guess it's actually really old art, but still!" Blathers sniffed, rubbing the tip of his wing against his nose. "I loved me sum artz…

"Well…" he straightened, dusting himself off, "time to be heroic.

"SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO USE UPROAR? ALL YA GOTTA DO IS USE CAPS LOCK!" 

oOoOoOo

"Is that…?" Leaf looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. Yep, she'd recognize that craziness anywhere. "It's Blathers!"

Knuckles cried out in agreement, rushing after the sound of the voice. With Blathers being that loud, who needed to turn to Aura for guidance?

It didn't take them too long to reach Blathers, and it seemed Toby was already waiting for them along with Ki.

"So this isn't all some big joke, right? He actually found something?" Leaf questioned, covering her ears from Blathers' still ongoing screams.

Ki, the only one who wasn't attempting to protect his eardrums, nodded, gesturing towards the painted stones on the ground and the large gap before them.

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING _ME_, LEAF?" Blathers screeched. "HOW _DARE _YOU; I THOUGHT YOU _LOVED _ME!"

"Shut _up _already!" Leaf thundered, slamming her foot down. "You _don't have _to scream anymore! I'm sure the _whole world _knows where you are now!"

Blathers immediately looked as if he had been slapped. "But I…" he sniffled, attempting to stifle a sob, "was only trying to be a _real _Sonic hero…! Would you rather have me divert back to my dastardly ways?"

"Dastardly…? _What_?" she repeated, utterly confounded.

"That's right!" the Chatot declared, straightening importantly. "I used to be a villain back in the good old days!"

Before Leaf could even think of a response to that, Riley arrived along with the rest of the Flying Pokémon. "So what did you find?"

"Oh, baby. Baby, oh!" Blathers called out, swooping over to rest upon the brim of Riley's hat. "Now _where_ have you been for the past twelve minutes, huh? Why didn't you text me or call me?" the bird demanded to know, pointing at the top of the hat accusingly. "Oh my gawd, I swear… if you're seeing some other hat, it's _so _over! Besides, I've already insured you _can't ever _do something like that to me! I've already marked you as one of my own, so now you _belong _to _me and only me_! I mean, yeah, didn't you ever notice your super-sparkly sparkle skin?

"Now this…" Blathers finished, turning away and winking at no one in particular, "is how you obsess over a hat!"

While all of that was going on, everyone else was busy examining Blathers' earlier finds.

"This looks like…" Riley trailed off, carefully looking over the painted rock in his hand. "The colors and designs on these rocks look very similar to the ones on that cave painting Professor Carolina showed us!"

"So I bet this was once a cave painting too…" Leaf continued, looking up at the gap in the cave just ahead. "And I bet Team Galactic blasted apart this painting to reach the path to Spear Pillar!"

"So you think this might be it?" Riley asked, straightening his hat, since Blathers' weight was causing it to severely lean to one side of his head.

"Oh, I think it is!"

Toby grinned. "Work very good then!"

Blathers, for his part, turned to face the hat again. "Oh, I'm sorry, hattie!" he exclaimed, hugging it lovingly. "I was only trolling you, to prove to Leaf that I had an evil side to me! But I won't do it again! I promise you that, my dear sweetheart!"

"Okay, Blathers…" Leaf rose, shaking her head. "I appreciate your help, but I've had just about enough from you for one day…" she told him, pulling out his Pokéball and recalling him.

"Oh, what a world… what a world…!" Blathers whimpered dramatically as he was sucked into the vortex.

Once the rest of the Pokémon, aside from Knuckles, were recalled as well, the group moved through the gap to head off for their destination. The path they traversed was rather narrow, and the air seemed to become colder the farther they walked.

Leaf folded her arms over her chest and shivered violently. "Is it just me, or is it really cold in here?"

"Yes, it certainly is." Riley remarked, unbuttoning his jacket. "I'm thinking there might be a breeze coming in from the mountains…"

Toby rubbed his arms repeatedly in an effort to warm up, his teeth chattering quite audibly. "Oh! Yes! Torchic help!" he suddenly remembered, pulling out her Pokéball.

"What I wouldn't give for my Flareon right about now…" Leaf mused, watching Toby contentedly hug his Torchic.

"Here…" Riley offered, holding out his jacket to her. "Take this."

"B-but…!" Leaf stuttered, both bewildered and embarrassed. "You need it! What about you?"

"I'm wearing a turtleneck, so…" he trailed off, using his free hand to fiddle with his hat. "You need it more than me."

"Well, um…" she carefully accepted it, "thank you."

Upon wearing it, she shivered from the sudden warmth. She quickly wrapped the jacket about herself and folded her arms tightly around her, to both keep the jacket in place and to prevent any of the leftover warmth from Riley's body heat from escaping.

Toby burst out laughing at the sight. Even Knuckles had to struggle to keep a straight face.

It then became clear to her that she probably looked like a kid in Riley's clothes. With the bottom of the jacket just dusting her knees, it could almost function as a sort of dress in her size. The sleeves were also considerably longer than her arms, so her hands were totally hidden from sight. But still! It wasn't _that _funny!

"What are you laughing for?" she huffed. "_Nothing _is funny here!"

oOoOoOo

NOTES: Another not so eventful chapter, but I didn't want it getting much longer…

Oh, I wanted to point out that I changed around Chapter 46 quite a bit. Originally, Leaf got cheered up by her mom, but I was finding that to be a little cheesy. So I decided to have her get cheered up by Vegeta instead. So… if you're one of those people who've been craving for moar Blastoise, then you might want to check that out. If not, don't worry; it's not too drastic a change. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you must have only seen the revised chapter.

Oh yeah, and I should say I'm going to try drawing several of the characters in this story. I know I'm not usually one for heavy physical descriptions (though I have my reasons for that)… and well, I just figured I should give it a try. It'll all be on my deviantART account, if you ever want to give it a look.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	79. Chapter 79: Spear Pillar

"And it just keeps getting colder…" Leaf hugged herself tighter.

"Well, hopefully we'll reach the end of this tunnel soon…" Riley pointed out.

And just then, Knuckles cried out, quickening his pace to a run and disappearing around a corner. Bewildered, the three hurried after him, only to be met with a huge blast of cold air.

Apparently, they had reached the end of the tunnel.

"Why does there have to be a blizzard now?" Leaf called out against the rushing wind, doing her best to hold up Riley's oversized sleeve over her eyes to protect them from the snow.

"Just our luck, it seems." Riley remarked, taking a step forward. "But with any luck, this snowstorm will slow down Team Galactic as well. We'll just have to get through this."

"Cold before…" Toby winced, hugging Torchic close. "But now, even _more_ cold!"

"True that…" Leaf mumbled, taking hold of Knuckles' arm and linking it with her own. "And we should definitely stick close together… It's _really _hard to see out here."

The trek up the mountain was brutal. There were times where the wind struck so fiercely against them, the five people and Pokémon could hardly stand up straight. But they continued onward, silent save for the howling of the wind, bent on their mission.

Thankfully, they were able to rest up at several points along the way by hiding in the shelter of small caves. These caves weren't exactly warm, but at least they were safe from the blistering chill of the wind…

They had just entered one such cave when Knuckles seemed to be urging them to move onward, deeper into the cave.

"Uh, what's wrong, Knuckles?" Leaf inquired, looking over at him with confusion. "Don't you want to rest?"

The Lucario yelped, waving his arms around wildly for emphasis. He could sense Cyrus not too far from here!

"Really?" she gave a start. "Here? In this very-? At the top?"

"What's he saying?" Riley wondered, eying them both with a raised eyebrow.

"Cyrus is at the top! We just have to follow this path to reach him! Hurry!"

The group broke into a run, with Toby only pausing momentarily to recall his Torchic.

"Hey, why are there stairs here… in the middle of a cave?" Riley questioned before taking the steps two at a time.

"Who knows? Just run!" Leaf urged, even though she was the one who was lagging behind.

Soon after the four ascended the last flight of cave-stairs, they were met with a surprising sight.

"So _this _is Spear Pillar…" Riley said softly.

The entire area was covered in marble. Once upon a time, it must have been an impressive sight indeed, a place covered in beautiful white pillars. Now, however, these pillars were shattered, grayish in hue, broken down, and smashed, beaten down both by the elements and by old age. It had been robbed of its previous glory, but that didn't make it much less impressive. The rage of nature was more than evident here…

And in the middle of it all, stood Cyrus, with his back turned to them all.

"Cyrus!" Leaf called out angrily. "We _know _what you're going to do here! Where is the rest of Team Galactic?"

He did not turn around, though Leaf was certain she had been more than loud enough for him to hear.

"You three! Just what do you think you're doing here?" a harsh voice called out from behind.

The trio of humans whirled around to find themselves facing Mars and Jupiter, the two female commanders of Team Galactic.

"So it's _you_!" Jupiter scowled at the sight of Leaf's face, fully recognizing her as that pesky obstacle that stood in her path back at the Valley Windworks.

Likewise, Mars' expression darkened at the sight of Riley. "You've come here to mess with our boss' plans, haven't you? Well, we won't allow it!"

"Oh, yeah?" Leaf pulled out a Pokéball. "Well, let's see how well you can do that without any Pokémon to back you up! We'll put your team in its place!"

"Go Bronzor!" the two commanders shouted out in unison. Upon seeing the other's similar choice in Pokémon, the two of them began arguing with each other. "How _dare _you! You_ copycat_!"

Leaf briefly glanced back at the still-unmoving Cyrus before turning to her friends. "It seems we're going to have to take out the garbage first… Are you guys willing to take out these two? That'll leave me to take on Cyrus…"

"No one's taking on Cyrus today!" Jupiter shrieked. "Bronzor! Use Gyro Ball now!"

Within seconds, her Bronzor began to glow, charging up a powerful beam.

Assuming the attack was meant for Knuckles, Leaf hurriedly yelled for him to move out of the way. But she couldn't have been more wrong…

Instead, Bronzor jerked to the side at the last moment, its steel-laced beam tearing through the air and heading straight for Toby.

The poor Trainer had no time to react; the attack hit him right in the chest, knocking him straight down to the ground.

"Toby!" Leaf screamed, too shocked to even move.

Unable to contain his fury, Knuckles charged for the Bronzor, summoning up a Bone Rush attack. Jupiter's Bronzor merely laughed, hovering just above the angered Lucario as he repeatedly attempted to slug him with the glowing bone.

"Looks like the two of you have no choice but to battle us now…" Jupiter said smugly, her hand hardly bothering to conceal her smirk.

Finally breaking out of his stunned stupor, Riley turned to glare at her. "You _will_ pay…!" he said darkly, whipping out a Pokéball and immediately commanding the Salamence within to use Fire Fang.

Using his mighty wings, it was easy for Salamence to charge up to Bronzor's level; the dragon type sunk his flaming teeth into the Pokémon, causing it to scream in pain from the super-effective attack.

"Toby…!"

Leaf moved to reach him, but Riley quickly caught her on the arm and blocked her path. "No! Focus on the battle first! I don't need _you _getting hurt as well! Sticking together and fighting it out is our only option!"

"But—"

"Think about it! If your attention is on him, one of those Pokémon might attack _you _next! We need to take them down now! Together!"

Steeling herself, she turned her attention to the battle. Quickly noticing Knuckles' ineffectiveness, she hastily called him back.

Knuckles hesitated.

"Hurry! I need you to watch over Toby! You've got to protect him! Especially from—" she quickly glanced back at Cyrus once again, relieved to find that he was still standing still for now.

After nodding once in understanding, the Lucario hurried over to the Trainer's side. To Leaf's immense relief, Toby seemed to be stirring at this point. After spending a few brief moments to reassure him, Knuckles tensed, his aura receptors on high alert, keeping him ready for any possible attack.

Meanwhile, Salamence was getting hounded by the two Bronzor. Their combined Extrasensory attacks were driving the poor Pokémon insane.

"Leaf! I could really use your help out here!"

"Right!" Finally satisfied that Toby was safe, she snapped to attention. "I'm counting on you, Espio!"

The Espeon bounded up to the fight, freezing one of the Bronzor in place with a Psychic attack of her own. This made it easy for Salamence to swoop in with another Fire Fang, resulting in Jupiter's Bronzor fainting.

The woman snarled in contempt, recalling her Pokémon and replacing it with a Golbat. This Pokémon turned out to be just as annoying as Saturn's was, much to the disgust of Leaf.

"Can't those Golbat ever learn that it's only appropriate to start laughing _after _a fight? And even then, it's _still_ pretty obnoxious!"

Mars' Bronzor moved in on the offensive. Its Gyro Ball blasted through the air before slamming into Espio. Though the attack was strong, she shook it off easily enough.

From there, Riley called for his Salamence to use Fire Fang once more, reducing the Bronzor to within an inch of its health. Espio finished it off with one last Psychic attack.

"Fat chance I'm going to allow _you _to copy _me _again!" Mars snapped at Jupiter before calling out her Purugly, the most beautiful Pokémon in existence. Well, according to Mars, that is.

Jupiter ordered her Golbat to use Sludge Bomb (but not before shooting a dirty look at Mars). The idiotic Golbat promptly began to hurl sludge, spitting it all out at Salamence. The poor dragon Pokémon barely managed to contain his disgust. The smell was just… awful!

"I'm going to end this quickly!" Riley declared, recalling Salamence and replacing him with Rukario, who appeared more than ready to kick some... tail.

"Use Swift!" Leaf called out.

Espio smirked deviously before throwing out an array of shuriken, effectively slicing up both Golbat and Purugly. In response, Mars ordered Purugly to use Shadow Claw, slicing up the Psychic Pokémon to within an inch of her health. Golbat puked up another round of Sludge Bomb, causing Espio to immediately faint.

"Ugh…" Leaf cringed, recalling her Pokémon, "…wasn't expecting that…"

Rukario snarled, moving in close to Purugly to pull off Close Combat. The fat cat was too slow to react and became pounded relentlessly with a flurry of punches and kicks, until she fainted.

"I _hate _that Lucario!" Mars spat, recalling her precious Pokémon.

Unfortunately for Rukario, however, his close proximity made it easy for Golbat to horrify him with another disgusting Sludge Bomb attack. The Lucario groaned in disgust, completely drenched in Golbat's spewed up vomit.

Leaf shivered in dread. "I feel for you, buddy…"

"Leaf! Call in another Pokémon! Quick!"

"I'm on it! Give 'em what for, Vegeta!"

Upon being released, the Blastoise roared. It truly was his favorite way to get pumped for a battle. Almost like a real Super Saiyan!

Mars, for her part, released her Golbat. Much to no one's surprise, it was just as irritating as the others before it, laughing loudly for no apparent reason.

"Keep using Sludge Bomb!" Jupiter roared.

Rukario threw his arms over his head to protect himself from the worse of it as he ran about wildly, trying to escape the Golbat's relentless vomiting.

Riley couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Why does she keep using Sludge Bomb? It doesn't even affect a Steel type like my Lucario…"

"I get the feeling Jupiter just loves to gross out her opponents… It would explain why she's got a Skuntank…" Leaf remarked, shaking her head.

"Well… fight back using Aura Sphere!" Riley commanded.

Abruptly whirling around, Rukario quickly fired an Aura Sphere directly into the hurling Golbat's mouth, causing it to sputter and choke. And well, this resulted in Sludge Bomb matter being spewed about everywhere.

Wanting to quickly put an end to this disgusting Pokémon, Leaf hurriedly called for Vegeta to use Hydro Pump. Thankfully for her team, the Golbat fell to the ground in a faint.

"Just wait until you get a taste of my most powerful Pokémon…" Jupiter sneered, recalling her revolting Pokémon.

"Now it's my turn!" Mars cried. "Use Air Cutter!"

Powerful blasts of air slashed through the air before crashing into both Rukario and Vegeta. But before either of them could react, Jupiter called out her next Pokémon, Skuntank.

Leaf screwed up her face in repulsion. "That stinky Pokémon already?"

Determined to end this, Riley called for Rukario to use Close Combat. The Lucario dashed in close before unleashing a series of melee attacks on the smelly Skuntank. The foul-smelling monster howled, struggling to maintain his hold on consciousness after such an attack.

"Use Surf!" Leaf cried out.

Vegeta summoned up a monstrous tidal wave, completely dousing all three of the Pokémon engaged in battle. Golbat was flung to the earth by the force, but quickly rose to his feet soon enough. But Skuntank, for his part, was unable to take it any longer. He fainted.

Rukario shook off the pain, but was, in part, grateful. Finally the vomit from Jupiter's Golbat had been cleaned off him…

"This is all _your _fault!" Jupiter shrieked at Mars, recalling her Pokémon with a look of pure rage on her face.

"Funny you should say that…" Mars smirked, looking at her comrade from the corner of her eye. "As it stands right now, it seems _I'm _the only one with a Pokémon left in the battle! So if anyone's not pulling their weight, it's you…!"

"Wait… seriously?" Leaf spoke up suddenly, looking incredulous. "So you're saying you only brought _three_ Pokémon? This is your big day, the time when your crazy ruler has decided to take over the world, and you only brought _three _Pokémon?"

"Well, we weren't expecting _vermin _to show up!" Jupiter shot back nastily. "Besides, the likes of you are no match for Master Cyrus! He'll take you _both _out without even blinking! And it'll be especially easy now that we've weakened you!"

"I wouldn't count on that…!" Riley broke in, his anger bubbling just below the surface. But somehow, that fact just seemed to make him all the more dangerous. "Every single one of you _will _pay for your crimes! Here and now!"

"Heh! We'll see!" Mars smirked. "Use Confuse Ray, Golbat!"

Using Rukario's close proximity to his advantage, Golbat spurted out a shining beam of glittery lights straight for the unlucky Lucario, causing him to go starry-eyed.

Riley called for him to use Aura Sphere, but Rukario's attack wound up blowing up right in his face; he was that confused.

Glancing back at Toby, Leaf decided this battle needed to end now. She commanded Vegeta to use his Hydro Cannon.

Luckily, the attack did not miss its target; instead, it slammed right into the opponent, knocking him out.

Mars recalled the Pokémon with a scowl that abruptly transformed into a nasty smirk. "You're too late…! Cyrus has already begun!"

Wheeling around with a start, Riley and Leaf were stunned to see that Cyrus had raised his arms, laughing wildly.

"THE DAWN OF A NEW WORLD HAS APPROACHED!" Cyrus screamed, his hair looking even more wild than usual as his eyes bulged. "AND THIS NEW WORLD, IT SHALL BE _MINE_!"

Two great white lights on either side of him flashed, gathering in strength and intensity. The increasing brightness cackled and hissed, sending vast amounts of raw energy into the surrounding air. This energy angrily struck out against the atmosphere, just like bolts of lightning. The wind picked up, causing everyone but the crazed Cyrus to stumble.

Riley gripped Leaf in a one armed embrace and held onto his hat, struggling to keep his eyes open. The two of them could hear Mars and Jupiter screaming; apparently, they had underestimated the consequences of their insane leader's actions. Leaf could only hope and pray that Toby and the Pokémon were unharmed, for she didn't dare look away from the events happening right before her eyes.

In the air just above the wildly glowing orbs, two giant, white masses were forming. Slowly, they began to open up, revealing a large hole of a sort of pinkish hue to the left, while a sizable hole of a darkish blue color formed up on the right.

"What is that?" Leaf struggled to cry out against the roaring wind.

"Portals…!" Riley exclaimed. "They must lead to Palkia and Dialga's realms!"

"What do we do?"

But Leaf's words were cut off by a loud cry. Two loud cries.

Two massive forms were moving towards the portals…

They climbed out and stood before them all, their sheer size enough to send everyone into a stunned silence.

Finally, the deafening wind calmed, allowing the powerful Pokémon to stand normally, gazing down at them all.

They were magnificent. The two Beings with the power to control Space and Time, standing right there before them… Palkia and Dialga…

And of course Cyrus had to ruin this wondrous moment.

"RELEASE THE RED CHAIN!"he thundered, raising his arms.

From out of nowhere, two long red chains sprang into existence, wrapping themselves securely around Dialga and Palkia. The two Pokémon could only writhe within the glowing red confines, trying in vain to free themselves from the vicious trap.

"FINALLY!" Cyrus shrieked. "THEIR FULL POWER IS WITHIN MY GRASP! I _AM _THE TRUE MASTER OF BOTH TIME _AND_ SPACE! IT IS TIME FOR ME TO BECOME THE CREATOR OF A NEW EXISTANCE! A NEW FUTURE IN WHICH _I _HOLD _ALL _POWER!"

"We have to save them!" Leaf cried desperately, turning back to Vegeta and Rukario, both of whom were entranced by the sudden turn of events. "Quick! You two! Combine your attacks and send them straight for the Red Chains!"

"Are you sure that will work?" Riley questioned, looking down at her in slight surprise.

"It_ has_ to!"

She looked to Toby and was surprised to see that Knuckles was helping him to his feet. Feeling relieved, she then quickly glanced back towards Mars and Jupiter. The two were still standing there in shock and awe, yet they seemed to be gradually growing proud of their leader's sinister deeds. Furrowing her brow in determination, Leaf faced forward once more, knowing that those two weren't of much importance to any of them now. All of their available Pokémon had already fainted. They were nothing more than bystanders now.

"Let's do this." She nodded to Vegeta and Rukario.

But before they could even decide on an attack to use… frantic cries began to fill the air.

"What was-?" Leaf whirled around to discover that the Lake Trio was soaring towards her at top speed. More than a bit stunned by their apparent disregard for a possible collision, she threw up her arms for defense and yelped. "What are they-!"

But instead of colliding with the hapless Trainer, the three Pokémon swerved around her and immediately latched onto her backpack. Six tiny hands struggled with the unyielding material; apparently, they were desperately trying to open the bag.

Riley merely stared. What in the world would they want with Leaf's backpack?

After spending several moments waiting for the Lake Pokémon to crash into her, Leaf warily opened her eyes. "What…? Where did they go?" she turned to and fro looking for them, but obviously, since they were behind her, she couldn't catch sight of them.

"Ah! Leaf!" Riley exclaimed, finally getting the picture. "They're on your backpack! They must be trying to reach your Griseous Orb! They want to summon Giratina!"

"What?" Leaf strained to see behind herself, and sure enough, there they were, ripping, biting, and clawing at her bag.

"Hurry! With Giratina on our side, it'll be more than possible for us to stop Cyrus!"

Riley carefully yet quickly helped ease the straps over her shoulders, and from there, Leaf gently yet firmly pushed the Pokémon aside to reach the zipper.

She seized the orb and held it high over her head. "Giratina! _Come out_! We need your help!"

oOoOoOo

NOTES: Hey, sorry to end it there, but I really wanted to get a new chapter out for you readers! Hope you enjoyed it!

And well, I think the results of the poll aren't going to change much, so I've decided to lock in the answer, since it will likely be featured next chapter.

So now, I've got another new poll, one which I'm very interested to see your answers. The event mentioned may or may not happen fairly soon (meaning about two or three chapters from now), so please vote quickly if you'd like to be heard.

Thanks everybody. :)


	80. Chapter 80: Giratina's Dinner

NOTES: Aaah, it's been so long…! I'm truly sorry to those readers out there who have been waiting all this time. I won't waste your time with excuses.

But I do want to say that I've decided to drop Toby's dialect thing. At first I thought it would be fun to show the change in his speech, but it's just become a hassle for me, so… I just decided to kill it. I'm sorry if you happened to like it.

Anyway, back to the story!

oOoOoOo

An odd warmth was gathering in her hands. Leaf almost wanted to let go of the orb, but her hands felt as if they were frozen in place. The Lake Trio was darting around this way and that, seemingly gaining some sort of energy from the strange light that was now enveloping the area.

Or was that really light? The area actually seemed to be becoming darker, brightened only by this odd, purplish glow. This glow was becoming more intense, and the wind began to pick up, just as it had done with the arrival of Dialga and Palkia.

"Leaf! What are you doing! Put that down already!" Riley cried out, raising up his arms for defense since he was now getting buffeted by the gusts of wind.

But for whatever reason, she just couldn't let go. She wasn't certain if she was frozen from fear… or from something else entirely. Although, thankfully enough, the gusts were hardly affecting her; her hair was seemingly being tousled by only a slight breeze. It felt like she was in the eye of a hurricane…

Much like with Palkia and Dialga, a large portal began to form, just several feet before the still-laughing Cyrus. But unlike the others, this portal was of a blackish purple hue. In fact, Leaf could actually recognize this one… It looked exactly like that portal she and Knuckles had encountered back in Turnback Cave…

It was only once the portal took on the full size of the ones before it that Cyrus finally took notice. "Is this… the dawn of my new world…?" he asked the empty air, slightly shrieking.

Within the depths of the increasingly ominous gateway, two beady, red eyes shone through the blackness. Just moments later, an equally red and sinister grin became visible…

Leaf gasped, finally dropping the orb altogether. What had she just done…? Had she just summoned… a monster?

The mysterious beast grinned widely and suddenly sprang forth from its domain, spreading a huge pair of shadowy wings to their fullest extent. Within seconds, the Pokémon lunged, enveloping Cyrus within its massive wings and disappearing back into the portal.

And just like that, Cyrus was gone…

The wild wind ceased just as abruptly, and those that remained were left with nothing more than stupefied expressions.

Well, aside from Dialga and Palkia, that is. They were still fruitlessly struggling for freedom.

"So that's… it_?_" Leaf was beyond incredulous. "Cyrus just got… _eaten_! _That _was the great and awesome solution? Let a crazed Pokémon _eat _the madman!"

The Lake Trio chose this moment to suddenly rush for the still-open portal, vanishing inside without a trace.

"And where are they going?" she asked, gesturing weakly at the freakish gateway.

"I don't… know…" Riley was still gawking at the portal, trying to figure everything out. "…But I do know this. Cyrus wasn't eaten, actually. I think Giratina took him back to the Distortion World… perhaps to… punish him…?"

Leaf stared at him, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. "Oh yeah, Giratina punished him all right… by eating him up like a snack!"

Riley frowned, still gazing at the portal thoughtfully. "But something's wrong here…"

"_Everything_'s wrong here!" she exclaimed, waving her arms around wildly. "Giratina was supposed to _save _the Legendary Pokémon! _Not_ _kill_ Cyrus! I feel like a criminal right now! Like I just helped _kill _somebody! Oh man…! Why did Azelf and the others even tell me to do that? Don't tell me those little elves are _murderers_ in disguise! How could they look so cute and be _murderers_ at the same time?!"

"Leaf…? What are you even…?" Riley distractedly looked over at her and in the process, caught sight of Vegeta and Rukario heading over, along with Knuckles and Toby. "Hey, are you all alright?"

"I'm better now." Toby assured them, tapping his chest lightly with his hand, though he was still being supported by Knuckles.

"This is _not _how everything was supposed to turn out…" Leaf frowned, turning to pat Toby on the shoulder. "I mean, look! Toby's hurt! We've got two Legendries trapped in some kind of freakish net thing! And-! Them…" She quickly glanced back at Mars and Jupiter, two people she had totally forgotten about up until now.

But the two of them were just as dumbfounded as the rest of them were, gawking and mumbling incomprehensibly.

"Who?" Riley looked confused for a moment and then waved them off irritably. "Oh them; they don't really matter right now. They can't do much of anything without their Pokémon anyway."

"So now… what? We gotta save these giant Pokémon, right?" Toby winced slightly as he backed away from Knuckles, choosing to support himself now. "How though?"

"Hey! I know!" Leaf exclaimed. "Back to our original plan! We'll combine our Pokémon's attacks and just keep smashing those chains until they break! I mean, come on… What can possibly withstand the force of seventeen Pokémon attacking all at once?"

"Well, maybe…" Riley frowned, looking rather doubtful, though Toby and Leaf apparently weren't paying much attention.

"Yeah! The more Pokémon we have the better!" Toby chimed in, reaching for his Pokéballs.

"Wait a minute!" Riley spoke up once again, louder this time. "Haven't you thought this through? So what if we do manage to free Dialga and Palkia? What you suppose they're going to do next? Head back home and forget this whole thing ever happened?"

"Well… what do _you_ think they're going to do? Attack us for freeing them?" Leaf raised an eyebrow.

"Honestly, Leaf! Look at them!" he pointed up at Dialga; the Pokémon's face was contorted with rage as he continued his struggle for freedom. "They're hostile! Just haphazardly letting them free with no direction doesn't make sense! The moment they go free, there's no telling _what_ might happen! A battle between two Legendries is just too catastrophic for this place to handle!"

"So what? Are you telling me we're supposed to just leave them there? They _need _our help!"

"I know they do." Riley turned back to the portal. "That's why… I've come up with another idea."

Leaf faced it as well, her expression none too eager. "And what is this idea of yours…?"

"I think we need to go through that portal and find Giratina."

"_What_?" Leaf exclaimed, both panicked and baffled. "_Why_?"

"I think it just might be our only chance…"

"You're_ joking_! If we head in there, Giratina is only going to get angry, and then he'll want to eat _us _too!"

"Leaf…" Riley sighed wearily. "Giratina is not going to eat us. I just think he might be able to help us out. But in order to get his help, we'll need to challenge him to a battle and win… of course."

"So you're saying… you actually want all of us to go inside that creepy portal over there… to fight Giratina… but… what would that even accomplish? What would Giratina even do to save them anyway? And who's to say he won't join in on the fight too? What if all three of them start fighting the second Dialga and Palkia are freed?"

"To be honest, I'm really not sure what will happen..." Riley replied, frowning thoughtfully. "But I think it's worth a shot. There has to be a reason why that portal is still open. And there has to be a reason why Azelf and the other Lake Pokémon headed in there… I think it's worth a look."

"Worth a look?" Leaf repeated faintly. "Riley… what if that portal leads straight to… I mean, you've said before that Giratina was sent there to be _punished_… right? Whatever's on the other side of that portal, it _can't_ be good."

"Well, maybe…" he looked back at her and shrugged. "But I think it's our only option. We have to try."

"Our _only _option?" she repeated, frantic. "Come on! There has to be more options than this! Really!"

"Well then? What else?"

"The real superpower of teamwork…?" Leaf answered weakly, holding up a fist and wearing a sheepish smile.

Riley merely stared at her awkward pose for a moment and then sighed, shaking his head wearily. "Honestly, Leaf. I don't think our Pokémon's attacks are even strong enough to break that chain anyway. You said it yourself; the Red Chain was fabricated from the Lake Trio's bodies… That kind of power is immense. Our Pokémon just can't stand up to that, even if they do work together."

"Okay... Maybe so… But still! There has to be some other way, right?"

She paused a moment and started to look to the others for answers, but everyone else seemed to be just gazing back at her with blank expressions. Vegeta, Rukario, Toby, Knuckles… Didn't _anyone _have a better idea?

"Eh, sorry... I've got nothing." Toby shrugged. "Besides, checking out the portal might be kinda awesome. I always wondered what a legendary Pokémon's hideout might look like…"

Leaf hung her head. "Okay, fine… To the underworld it is. Just don't blame me if we all get trapped there forever… or get eaten by a crazed Giratina…"

Knuckles patted her shoulder sympathetically. Things just had to be this way. Having everyone attack the Red Chain all at once was too clichéd of a solution anyway…

"Yeah, probably…" Leaf sighed. "I guess team work can't always match up to every situation… That kind of stuff only tends to work out in video games or fanfictions… not in real life, unfortunately… Come to think of it though, I never really liked group work, when it came to school…"

"Hm? What?" Riley gave her a puzzled look, having only understood half of the conversation.

"Nothing…" she sniffed, hugging Knuckles' head tightly. "Just having a final, earthly conversation with my Pokémon here…!"

"Leaf, we are not going to die. I've told you before; Giratina lives in the Distortion World. Basically, it's… like a separate dimension… at least that's what I think. Anyway, the point is, it's _not _the Underworld!"

"Yeah, it's just Giratina's personal kitchen, where we'll all be served up as the main entrée…"

Riley simply shook his head as the six of them headed over to stand before the ominous portal.

"Whoa… It's pretty dark in there." Toby commented, squinting as he studied the gateway. "I wonder if Giratina is a Ghost type…"

Leaf swallowed in a rather useless attempt to quell the rising butterflies in her stomach. "So we're really going to do this…"

"Together," Riley affirmed, suddenly grasping hold of her open hand, or rather, that clump of fabric surrounding her hand.

"Oh! Your jacket… I'm still…" She hurriedly pulled it off. "Here… Sorry about that!"

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Well…" Toby gazed between the two of them for a moment before lighting up and running back over to the creepy portal, "… me first!"

"_What's going on here_?" a voice demanded sharply.

They all whirled around to face Saturn. He was looking around wildly, both angry and confused. "_Where_ is Lord Cyrus?" he demanded to know, turning to Mars and Jupiter for answers, but they still seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Well…" Leaf smirked, holding up her open palms, "I hate to break it to you, Uranus, but Cyrus is most likely dead right now."

"Liar!" he cried, pointing at her dramatically. "What have you done with him!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything! It was Giratina who did it, honestly! He snatched him up and ate him like an apple off a tree!"

"Leaf…" Riley looked weary. "Quit playing around, we really need to-"

"What? It's the truth!"

"Yeah… Leaf is a speaker of truth, you know…" Toby pointed out.

"You three…" Saturn murmured venomously, beside himself as the possibilities of what could have befallen his master began to unfold themselves in his mind. "I don't know _what _has happened to Cyrus… but you _all _will _pay _for this…!"

"Hey, I just said we didn't do anything! Er, wait… I guess I sort of did something… in a kind of indirect way, but… the Lake Pokémon _told_ me to do it! I wouldn't have done anything if I had known it-"

"Enough! You _will_ fall before me!" Saturn bellowed, unleashing his Pokémon. "Show them, Toxicroak!"

Just as quickly, Toby moved to release his Mudkip. The two Pokémon met in midair; Toxicroak swiped at the Mudfish with his Poison Jab, while Mudkip countered with Mud Slap.

"You guys go on ahead!" Toby said quickly, gesturing toward the portal. "I'll battle this guy!"

"You're sure you—" Riley began, but Toby waved them all away.

"Yeah! Just go!"

Riley regarded his cousin for a moment before clapping his shoulder and stepping back towards the portal. "Alright. Good luck."

Confused, Leaf looked back and forth between the two of them before finally speaking up. "But… why don't we just w—"

"He has this battle covered. Trust him." Riley answered simply.

Leaf regarded Toby silently before he nodded back to her and gave her a quick yet reassuring grin. The gesture only lasted for a second or two, for he promptly turned back to the battle.

"Fighting all alone… I just could never understand it…" Leaf let out a puff of air, causing her bangs to fly upwards into her hat. "Just like in Dragen Boru X…"

"We should go." Riley took her elbow, and she reluctantly followed after him. "Well… I guess this is it," he said softly, staring down the ominous pathway that led to Giratina. Leaf simply stared back at him, and he took a deep breath. "I'll go first then."

He tentatively took a step forward and jumped, his form disappearing seconds after passing through the gateway. Without a moment's hesitation, Rukario moved forward and leapt after his Trainer, he too disappearing within seconds.

"Well…" It took Leaf a moment to realize that Vegeta was too large to have any chance of fitting. "Oh, right! Here, Vegeta. Return! There. Now, Knuckles, you should go fir—" she began to gesture towards the portal, but he quickly shook his head. "What? You won't go? What? _Me_ first? No! No way!" she exclaimed, backing away. "_You _go first!"

Meanwhile, Toxicroak towered over the fallen Mudkip. Two Revenge attacks? Is that really all the poor little Pokémon could take?

"Toxicroak…" Saturn smirked, his gaze resting on Leaf. "You know what to do…"

At that moment, Toxicroak leapt into the air, lunging for said Trainer, preparing to unleash a Poison Jab attack.

Before Leaf could even react, Knuckles shoved her into the portal. Without wasting a second, he hurriedly raised his arms for defense, barely managing to defend his core from the poisonous jab. But instead of flinching or reeling back from the contact, the Lucario merely smirked. The attack had no effect on him.

"Haha! Great going, Knuckles!" Toby grinned, shooting the Pokémon a thumbs up.

"Sucker Punch!" Saturn shrieked.

But before the heavy Toxicroak could even begin to pull back his fist, Knuckles promptly waved and dived backwards into the portal, the weird energy sucking him in before the Toxicroak had a chance to lay a hand on him.

"Blast it, Toxicroak! Don't fall in!" Saturn barked.

"Good luck…" Toby murmured towards the portal before nodding to Ki. "Now let's finish this guy!"

oOoOoOo

Leaf screamed. She felt like she was falling into a deep pit, the abnormal gravity and strange wind currents pushing and pulling her body about until she felt like her insides might burst from all the violent and differing pressures. This lasted for longer than she would have liked until she suddenly met with solid ground, or rather… crashed into both Riley and Rukario. This resulted in everyone being knocked off their feet and landing in a crumpled pile on the ground.

"Ouch… I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it…" Riley grunted, finally able to breathe once the other two managed to untangle themselves enough to get off his back.

"Oh crap!" Leaf suddenly realized. "Knuckles!"

But it was too late. Before any of them could move out of the way, Knuckles came bursting through the portal, knocking them all back off their feet again.

"…Ouch."


	81. Chapter 81: Right in the Face!

"Ugh…" Leaf groaned, rubbing her head. After the wave of pain had worn away a bit, she became startled by the apparent sponginess of the ground below her. "Hey… so this… is…"

Her stupor didn't allow her to finish that sentence. Looking around, she was shocked to discover that everything around her was awash with darkness. It wasn't simply due to an ordinary lack of light, however. No, this dismal shroud somehow seemed… alive. The shadows enveloping the deformations in the land and the twisted, gnarled plants seemed to be constantly swirling, moving as if dancing to a frenzied song.

Now was that movement caused by the shadows… or was it simply the air itself, blackened by the dank musk and decay that seemed to be the very essence of this world?

The simple act of breathing felt strange to Leaf. Incredibly easy at times, but incredibly difficult at others... She counted herself lucky that she didn't ever happen to have asthma at any point in her life. If she had, she'd certainly be in trouble here.

In fact, every movement was strange like that. It was as if gravity were off somehow. Leaf currently felt as if she were on the moon, as if gravity's effects were slight and negligible. But if she moved her arm, even slightly, it felt as though it had entered another planet, one where gravity's insistent pull was very strong. All in all, it was just… extremely messed up.

"The Distortion World…" Riley breathed quietly, awkwardly rising to his feet. "So it does exist."

"I hate it here!" Leaf abruptly exclaimed, throwing her arms around Knuckles.

"It certainly is… strange… And it's not going to be easy to navigate, that's for sure…" her fellow Trainer agreed, feeling slightly dizzy. He glanced back at his friend, only to discover that Leaf's embrace was practically choking her Pokémon. "Hey, take it easy!"

"Huh?" Leaf opened her eyes, finally realizing her mistake. "Aah! _Knuckles_! I didn't mean it! I swear! Please don't _die_!" she exclaimed, quickly relaxing her grip and fanning his face with her hand. "_Live_! Live, darn you!"

"He's alright! Look, he's fine. Just give him space."

Leaf finally backed off, allowing Knuckles the chance to collapse on the ground and breathe somewhat normally again. She grimaced, watching Knuckles' struggle towards normalcy. "This place is just… horrible! I can't even hug Knuckles without killing him!"

"It'll be okay. Let's just find Giratina… The sooner we challenge him, the sooner we can get out of here."

"I just hope we can all make it out alive…" she mumbled, helping Knuckles to his feet.

"We will," he affirmed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Now, Rukario, do you think you can sense Giratina's presence? Once you pinpoint his Aura signature, we can head off."

The Lucario nodded, widening his stance to help strengthen his focus. He remained that way for several minutes, apparently straining to complete the request. His dreadlocks were standing on end, even visible Aura waves began to emanate from him; his hums of concentration were growing longer and lower, until he finally gave up completely, informing them all with a shake of his head that it was useless.

"Well… do you think you could give it a try, Knuckles?" Leaf asked, not noticing the scowl of disapproval Rukario sent her way.

Not looking very confident, Knuckles assumed the same stance as his father had and began to focus. However, just like Rukario, all of his efforts proved hopeless. To him, it felt as if Giratina were absolutely everywhere all at once; he simply could not pinpoint an exact location.

"Ack! He says Giratina is everywhere!" Leaf cried, reaching out to embrace Riley this time. "Don't tell me we're actually trapped inside his _stomach_!"

"No…" Riley squirmed somewhat within her hold to help ease his breathing rate. "Somehow I just don't think that's the case…"

oOoOoOo

After some brief debate, the four decided upon moving on ahead in a random direction. After all, with no leads from their Pokémon, it was the only possible option left. Unfortunately, Leaf became terrified the moment they lost sight of the portal, since she only then realized that they had just forgotten the way back to their only exit. However, Riley quickly reminded her that they didn't need that particular portal, so long as Leaf still had the orb. She could just create a new one again, right?

"I mean… you still have it… don't you?"

"No! I _don't_ still have it!" Leaf exclaimed, frantic once more. "I think I—no, I _know _I dropped it right after Cyrus got eaten! And I never thought—I never thought to pick it back up again! It's still back in the normal world! On Spear Pillar! What good will it do us there?!"

"Don't worry. Toby's still back there. Hopefully, he'll find it and pick it up after he defeats Saturn. And then, I'm pretty sure, we'll be able to meet back up with him here."

"_Hopefully_!" she repeated, beside herself. "What if he _doesn't_ find it! Or worse, what if _Saturn_ is the one who defeats him, finds the orb, and comes in here to use it against _us_!"

"Leaf, you have got to stop panicking. Frankly… it's not doing us any favors," Riley replied wearily. "Now, listen to me for a minute. I know this isn't the best of situations, but-what is it now?"

Leaf was pointing behind him, mouthing words faintly, apparently too horrified to even speak.

Riley and the Pokémon whirled around, only to stare directly into the face of… an enraged Giratina. The now-roaring Legendary was charging at them in an apparent fit of fury, with no intention of stopping.

None of them had much of a chance to even react, let alone move out of the way.

Giratina crashed right into the four, knocking them all senseless, as if they were nothing more than a few flies buzzing around in his path. The quartet were all sent flying, only to black out upon making contact with solid ground once more.

At least they weren't eaten.

oOoOoOo

"Come on, Grovyle…" Toby muttered, watching his Pokémon barely managing to stand after enduring yet another attack from Toxicroak. "Ugh… Did I somehow get confused…? I mean, Grass types are supposed to be effective against Poison types, aren't they…?"

"What are you mumbling about?" Saturn demanded sharply. "Your defeat is imminent! Despite any silly little plans you've got up your sleeve! I am bound and determined tofind out the truth about Cyrus, and you and your stupid friends will be _crushed _for standing in my way!"

"Yeah… I don't think so." Toby shook his head. "Grovyle might be one of my best fighters, but I've still got plenty more where that came from. Because… well, all of my Pokémon have hearts. Yours kinda… don't."

"And you think that matters to me?" Saturn shrieked, his Pokémon easily sidestepping Grovyle's next Leaf Blade attack. "Your emotions are what weaken you! Only once we are free of emotion, will we finally become strong enough to exist in Cyrus' new world! His _perfect_ world!"

"Perfect world, huh?" Toby raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the portal leading to the Distortion World. "Seems kinda dark and dismal if you ask me."

"A fool like you couldn't possibly understand!"

"Yeah… probably not. You people really don't make a whole lot of sense to me…" The young Trainer scratched his head. "And good luck with the whole 'getting rid of your emotions thing' because you have a long way to go on that one, buddy…"

Saturn growled. "_Finish it, _Toxicroak!"

And at that command, Toxicroak delivered a direct hit to Grovyle's core, twisting his acidic fist into the Pokémon's stomach.

"Brutal…" Toby winced, recalling the Grovyle and sending out his next Pokémon. "Ki! You can take on this guy, right? He knows Revenge though, so we'll have to be careful."

Ki nodded, clenching his fists.

Saturn let out a short laugh of disbelief. "It's… blind? You send a _blind _Pokémon to fight my Toxicroak? Are you stupid? Or do you just_ want_ to lose?"

Ki silently moved into position, but Toby grit his teeth. "He's _not _blind!"

Saturn burst out laughing with his Pokémon following suit. "You're deluded! I've never seen a Trainer so hopelessly out of touch with reality! When a Pokémon's eyes are gazing off into two different directions, that's a pretty _obvious _sign that the Pokémon is unable to see anything…!"

Without a sound, Ki pounced. Toxicroak, once he finally opened his tear-filled eyes, was met with a flurry of melee attacks, each one landing perfectly on target. Not a single wasted movement. The powerful and seemingly never-ending blows were just too much for the Toxicroak; the mighty Pokémon finally succumbed to the fury of his opponent.

"A Lucario is never blind, so long as he is still sensitive to the Aura waves around him…" Toby pointed out quietly, while his Pokémon straightened, staring down his opponent's master with closed eyes. "Why look at the world with your eyes, when you can look at it with your heart?"

"You couldn't have a more absurd take on things…" Saturn sneered. "Of course a Lucario can sense Aura waves. That's its ability, its whole reason for being a Lucario. You make it sound like it's some sort of amazing gift. But you know what?! In Cyrus' perfect world, your silly Pokémon's ability would be entirely _useless_! In a world with no emotions, there will be no Aura waves! And when that world comes to fruition, your Lucario will be nothing more than what it really is! A _waste_!

"Do you understand now? It doesn't matter how strong it is now or powerful it could be become! It will _never _see again, so what is the point in training it any longer! You're wasting your time, dealing with a Pokémon like that… You might as well take on a different one, one that isn't defected in such a way! Honestly… how do you expect to survive in this world if you don't take the fullest advantage of the strongest Pokémon you can get your hands on?!"

Toby clenched his shaking fists, trying his hardest to keep himself from flying off into a rage. It was the moment when he lifted his head, once he saw his Pokémon's hunched shoulders, that he truly lost control.

"_What _did you call my Pokémon?" he yelled, rushing forward. "_What _did you just say about him?!"

"You heard me," Saturn shot back, his lips curling into a smirk. But that smirk promptly faded the moment he realized Toby was actually charging at him. "Hey! What do you think you're-!"

Toby's fist curled back before striking Saturn square in the jaw. Not stopping there, his left fist knocked the stunned man right on the nose. His right fist reeled back for yet another strike, but the Trainer halted upon catching sight of a stream of blood under Saturn's nose.

Saturn stumbled backwards, so much so that he fell back on his rear. "Did you-did you just _punch _me?!"

"You _better believe_ I did!" Toby retorted, furious and looming over the fallen Commander.

"Saturn!" Mars shrieked; she and Jupiter were hurrying forward to help him. "You _freak_! What have you _done_ to him? What kind of Trainer attacks himself instead of using a Pokémon?!"

"You have a _problem_ with that?" Toby whirled around to face them, and the two halted in their tracks, obviously fearful for their own skin. He then turned back to face Saturn once more, seething. "How _dare _you talk to me about what is worthwhile and what isn't! Do you have _any idea_ what that word means! _Do you_?!"

Saturn simply stared at Toby, apparently shocked into a stunned stupor.

"Do you want to know what Ki said to me right after he was attacked? Right after he was made blind?!"

The fallen Commander's mouth twitched, but no words came out.

"He said it was worthwhile!" Toby shouted, his voice breaking. "Because his sacrifice saved my life! _Do you hear me_?! I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for him! _How dare you_ tell me that he isn't worth my time!"

He paused for a moment, holding his head in his hands. "I live my life, _every day_, wondering-wondering if I even deserve his love, his kindness! Even after that day… he's continued to do so much for me… Caring for me when there was no one else left… He made me realize that life on this planet _is _worthwhile! And you want to know why that is? It's because Pokémon and people like him are living on it, striving to make the world a kinder place! Sacrificing so much for so little in return!"

Toby faced Saturn once more, his expression doing nothing to hide his disgust. "Do you think I honestly care whether or not he can see with his eyes?! I _refuse _to define him by that! How _could_ I? When his heart and his soul are worth so much more! _That _is what is worthwhile to me! So instead of standing there telling _me _what _I _should be doing, maybe _you _need to stop and think about _yourself_! What makes _you _worthwhile?! Who or what do _you _live for?!"

Saturn swallowed, wiping the blood away with his sleeve. Toby considered him a moment longer before finally turning his back on him, choosing instead to face his Pokémon.

Ki stood stock still, astonished by his Trainer's words. Biting his lip, Toby moved in to embrace him, sinking down to his knees due to the sudden surge of emotions that had now taken over.

"What are you _doing_, Saturn?" Jupiter spoke up, frantic. "You still have more Pokémon! You can still win this battle!"

Saturn begrudgingly regarded his opponent and then shook his head.

"What? You… won't?" Jupiter was aghast. "But why not?"

"Do you have to ask?" Mars broke in, lifting an eyebrow.

"Well, I…" Jupiter faltered before glancing over at Toby and his Pokémon. "It… It's strange that… How could…?"

"It's a bond of friendship," Mars declared abruptly. "And a pretty powerful one, at that. Honestly, I don't think Saturn could stand a chance. So why bother, really?"

Jupiter stared at her before quietly turning back to regard Toby and Ki, her expression distant.

"I'm sorry to get so emotional…" Toby mumbled, his forehead resting on the Lucario's shoulder.

Ki shook his head, tightening his embrace.

"But I meant what I said, and I don't regret a single word of it."

oOoOoOo

NOTES: I always wondered what might happen if a Trainer just decided to jump into the fight him/herself… And well, if anyone was going to do it for this fanfiction, it'd have to be Toby. It seemed a lot more epic in my head than on paper, but… well, that's really nothing new.

Thanks for hanging in there!


End file.
